Gundam Wing Tapestry, Book 2
by Manzai
Summary: Treize allowed his dragon to escape with Sally Po, only to reclaim both and introduce them to his true world. Can they survive? And how does Treize know Subaru, Seishirou and Fuuma so well?
1. Default Chapter

**Tapestry, ****Book 2 **

**Chapter 1**

* * *

"Come on, Sally, you cando it. Take a deep breath, drop your shoulders, and _pull."_

_.....aaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHH..... damn, it hurts, it hurts, my hand's going to come off - _

The silence stretched longer and longer as I pulled against Wufei's hand. Unyielding steel bit into my wrist. A thin line of blood welled around my thumb, sticky and wet. I closed my eyes, clenched my jaw and kept pulling.

_- it's going to rip my knuckles off I know it is damn Treize damn him GAAHHHH- _

"Okay. Enough. That's enough, Sally. Stop. If you keep this up, you're going to shatter your thumb."

Cool hands smoothed the bracelet down my arm toward my elbow. I slit my eyes open a fraction and tried to focus on Wufei; it was hard to see him, though, for all the stars that were shooting in front of my eyes.

He regarded me with a steady gaze that softened after a moment. "Here. Put your hand back in. We'll try again in a little while."

I nodded, not trusting myself to utter a sound. I couldn't help it. The pain burned; it gnawed through my self-control, filling every nerve of my left hand with liquid fire. The moment I stopped pulling, the pain subsided. But it was only a short respite; I knew what else was coming. Grimacing, I thrust my arm into a sleeve filled with some concoction of Duo's - a gelatinous, icy substance, rather like dry ice but even colder, trapped between several fine layers of impervious webbing. I forced my hand inside, pushing it in so fast that the shock of the cold left me gasping. I didn't look, but I was sure my skin was bubbling and bleeding, huge blisters splitting the cracked skin between my fingers apart, even though I knew it wasn't true. It certainly _felt _like it was true. Panting, I grit my teeth and stared straight ahead, feeling slightly sick to my stomach.

_Breathe, Sally, breathe. You can do this_. _You have to. _

This trick was one of Heero's ideas. We needed to 'shrink' my hand in order to get that bracelet off - the one Treize banded me with after I tried to kill him. Normally I wouldn't have bothered to remove it until we were out of harm's way, deep in the colonies. It would just have been a constant reminder of how I failed to kill him; basically, of what happens when soldiers don't train every day, when they get sloppy and slow.

But Treize put a nasty surprise inside the steel, something we didn't expect. Not only did he put the standard weapons deterrent into the locking mechanism, he also installed a tracking device. And it was a fairly sophisticated one, too, from the looks of it. When Heero found it after his scan, I was horrified - the implications were immediately clear. Even though he let Wufei and me go, he still knew where we were. He was ... stalking us. Taking his time. Playing with us, as large cats play with their prey.

It meant he could pick us up anytime he wanted. More importantly, it meant that he wasn't_ finished. _

_There's more? MORE? _my mind screamed at me. I could still see Treize's last gaze, lingering over Wufei before we escaped. _What else? You mean he really does want - _

I stopped thinking at that point. I was terrified.

"Pull it off," I hissed. "I don't care how. Just get it off me. _Do it."_

But it couldn't just be cut off. That devilish man had keyed it to my nervous system, which was why I was feeling such horrid pain. If anyone cut the bracelet, they would abruptly break the neural circuit between the mechanism and me. At the very best, I would be a screaming mess for days; at the worst, I would be a living vegetable. Either Treize had to deactivate it, which he obviously wasn't going to do, or we had to find another way to remove it.

_This will work, Sally. _I could hear Wufei's voice again in my memory, feel his earnest gaze burning into mine. _I'm sure it will. Heero said it would. We'll get this thing off you, I promise. _

My hand was still swollen; I thought my thumb had been dislocated from tugging at it so many times. I didn't care, though. I'd cut off my arm before I'd let Treize track me, and through me, Wufei. But something just didn't feel right. Wufei didn't seem to be as frantic as I thought he should be. I couldn't put my finger on _why_, but something was definitely odd.

Grimly, I took my hand out of the sleeve and gave it to Wufei. "Try it again, please. Again. _Pull."_

* * *

Da Vinci International in Rome was one of the oldest airports on the globe, a mixture of old architecture, new , and everything else. Because of the proximity of Treize's island to the mainland, the refusal of local authorities to acknowledge OZ's control raised more than a few eyebrows in military circles. Roman officials did operate the airport in accordance with OZ's rules and regulations with a rigor that bordered on fanaticism. Their quirk, a last gasp at 'autonomous' control, was that they simply never permitted any OZ personnel into their own chain of command. Treize tolerated it, but added a twist of his own. His Specials casually wandered the airport, occasionally glancing around, their very presence speaking volumes. Most civilians looked back at them, blinked, then went about their business, feeling either unsettled or at ease, depending upon their view of OZ. 

The Roman officials knew, though, that if their employees made even one misstep, OZ would force them to cede complete and total control of every transport and loading dock on the property to them, calmly backing up its demands with as much military force as necessary. Considering that Da Vinci International had no regular army, those who worked at the airport decided it was in their best interest not to antagonize OZ.

But there was a thriving underground network in that region; most did not dislike the people in power per se, but hated the idea that _they, _the people who had lived there for generations, now had no control over their own destiny. The usual anarchists, imported from other areas of the world, simply hated OZ and OZ's iron fist rule in principle. When Duo and Heero quietly spread the word that we needed help getting from the mini sub to the airport, the locals were willing to create small diversions while we drove through the roadblocks. They gave us security codes to move smoothly through different checkpoints, and when we were close enough, passkeys to get into the different vehicle lots, including the airport maintenance parking lot.

Now we were sitting on the tarmac, near the largest intergalactic transports at the airport. Wufei and I were crouched in the back of the minivan, waiting for Duo to drive up to the vessel and get us on board. Duo had been able to fast talk his way here, flashing his bright smile, discreetly tucking the bribe money into the palm of the airport _polizia _with a perfectly straight face. I was sure he was going to do the same thing to get us on board the transport.

Impatiently, I stared at the back of Duo's head. I wanted to bore a hole into it and thrust my thoughts into his brain. _So get going, Duo. Get us moving. Why are we still sitting here? _

I could see both pilots clearly in the rearview mirror. Duo looked glum, slumped in the driver's seat, scowling, his gaze restless. Hero was expressionless and still, staring out the window. Then Heero surprised me, looking into the mirror, catching my gaze and not allowing me to look away. His eyes narrowed to steel blue slits.

"Wufei. Sally. Get down. If I can see you, so can anyone outside the van."

We did as he asked, sliding down as far as we could. "Why? What's wrong?" My teeth were chattering.

Duo turned around, looking grim. "That's the ship we want," he said, stabbing his finger at a large craft on the left, glaring, "but getting over here was easy, way too easy. These boys at da Vinci are awfully fucking clever when it comes to security. Every time I've come here, it's usually a lot more trouble than this. Things aren't right. I can feel it."

I groaned inwardly, staring at the band on my wrist.

"Maxwell. Security should have stopped us at least three times and looked inside the van twice." Heero's tone was flinty. "They were expecting us. You know it. I know it." He was silent for a long moment before turning to look at Duo. "We have to split up. Now."

Duo snorted, switched on the van and put it in gear, not looking at Heero. "Split up? You're crazy, Yuy. Not now. No way. We're getting outta here before we split up." He nodded toward the transports in front of the van as he eased away from the other vehicles. "But you can just forget getting off-world today. We ain 't gonna make our flight. That one's leavin' without us, and we ain 't waitin' for any others. They'd nail us for sure if we did."

"If they haven't already, you mean," Heero snapped back.

"If they had, we wouldn't _be _here, would we? They'd have us already. " Duo's laugh was more like a bark.

Wufei and I locked gazes. He shrugged his shoulders, feigning indifference, but I saw his eyes. I knew.

My fist hit Duo's shoulder with a solid _thwap. _"What are you saying? _Not_ getting off-world now? Are you _insane_? We _can't_ wait - we have to leave! We just escaped from -"

"_Sally."_ Wufei's tone was sharp. I shut up and stared at him in surprise; that was something else I didn't expect."They know. Don't fight this. When we can leave, we will."

Without warning, a loud _BANG _and a sudden lurch threw me over on the other side of the van, right into Wufei's shoulder. "Okay, folks," Duo yelled. "Looks like word's out. It's gonna get rough."

_"What?"_

At that moment a huge roar drowned out any other conversation. Pulling myself up between the seats, I squinted out the front windshield and saw that, sure enough, the transport Duo marked as heading for the colonies was taking off. As it raced down the runway, its bulk no longer hid what was on its other side.

Soldiers. Lots and lots of soldiers. An entire company had been called out, just for us.

Duo leaned forward, mouth open in disbelief. "Heero - look over there. Isn't that -"

An amplified voice echoed across the grounds. _"Sally Po. Chang Wufei. You cannot win. You cannot hope to escape. Give up, and no one will get hurt."_

"What the hell -?"

"Damn! _Damn!"_

Horror washed through me._ "No - we're not going back - NO!"_

Heero turned back and looked at both Wufei and me. "There's no way Treize is going to capture you - or us. Floor it, Duo!" A maniacal grin split his face and his eyes sparkled.

"Whatever you say, Hee-chan," Duo chuckled back as he obligingly pushed the accelerator down to the floorboards. With a lurch, the van leaped toward the OZ soldiers like a lazy tiger uncoiling from a nap. It tossed both Wufei and I back so that we sat down hard, both rather undignified.

While the van leaped forward, Heero had pulled himself through the passenger window faster than I thought humanly possible, braced his legs against the door and jerked something off the roof with considerable force. A dull thud, followed by a huge crack and roar rocked the van from side to side; Duo's knuckles were white as he tried to steer. His braid flew back and forth several times, smacking the side of the seat and flicking Heero's booted calves. I watched a missile trailing orange flame fly from somewhere above us, then land hundreds of meters in front of us, smack in the middle of the OZ soldiers.

"Look at that!" shouted Wufei, pointing to the center of the explosion. The OZ soldiers broke ranks and ran as dirt and rocks fountained over the rest of the OZ troops.

"Wufei - rip open that box! Feed Heero more grenades!" Duo shouted, swinging the van around for another pass, slamming close to more OZ soldiers.

"Sally!" Wufei roared, slicing into the box with his bare hands. He tossed a grenade to me, and I threw it out the window into Heero's waiting hands. I couldn't see Heero's head; I trusted he knew the grenade was coming.

Apparently he did. There was another dull thud, another _whoosh! _and another section of OZ troops dove for safety to let the grenade explode. Wufei and I continued tossing grenades to Heero as Duo, ever the improvisor, kept weaving the van around, about and through the soldiers.

"Dammit, Duo, get us the hell OUT of here!"

"I would, Sal, if I could find a damn way off this strip that wasn't clogged with those fucking OZ people...!"

But the OZ soldiers kept coming. They wouldn't give up; they were trying to overwhelm us, run us over with their superior numbers.

Wufei reached into the box and cursed fluently in Mandarin. "No more grenades!" he snapped, looking guilty, as if he was personally responsible.

_It's not your fault, Wufei ... _"We're out!" I shouted to Heero. "Now what ?"

"Semi under my seat - get it!"

Heero flung the launcher at a group of troopers with one hand while groping for his pistol with the other, his legs still braced against the seat. At the same time, Wufei dove under the passenger seat, scrabbling for what was there, ripping the upholstery. Triumphant, he popped up a moment later and brandished a large semi-automatic which he immediately slapped it into Heero's outstretched hand. No sooner did Heero clear the window ledge than he started firing.

Troops fell back in front of his onslaught, but still pressed near our vehicle. Now Duo was weaving around the craters, trying to get to the other side of the tarmac, to the relative safety of the other hangers, but it wasn't easy. The OZ troops were trying to herd us into one section where they wanted us, and resistance fighters - or at least civilians wanting to get a glimpse of famous criminals - weren't helping our cause at all.

"You have to get out of here!" Heero shouted to us as he slithered back inside, still partially hanging out the window, motioning Wufei to shove me toward the door. "Go, Sally. Take Wufei, and get the hell OUT of here! Jump when you can!"

Duo slowed down, and Wufei yanked the sliding door open just a crack.

I looked at the band on my wrist for a moment and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I had decided. "Duo!" I snapped, tossing my head back and stuffing my hair under a cap. "Take care of Wufei, do you hear me? Keep him close! I'll be watching. I'm going to draw them off - "

_"SALLY -" _Wufei's face was stricken, horrified -

With that, I hugged Wufei fiercely, pushed open the door of the van all the way, and leaped. Crouched into a ball, I tumbled outside, then rolled off the tarmac into a pile of wounded soldiers and civilians crowded about the wounded.

Things moved pretty quickly after that. I elbowed and dodged my way through the crowd, somehow making my way to the edge undetected. The van skidded into an OZ armored truck, smashing itself into an accordion and finally exploding into an orange fireball. I knew the others had escaped by the trails of broken OZ soldiers I saw on the outskirts of several groups. The last time I saw Wufei, Duo had him by the arm and was dragging him into a small car, right outside the airport.

I sighed. So far, so good. Wufei was safe with Duo, and that's what mattered. Next - the bracelet had to come off my wrist. Gads, where was I, Rome? Now I would have to improvise. I'd be all right, though. I'd find an underground cell, and through them a neurosurgeon, and eventually I'd be free. After that, I'd meet up with Heero, Duo and Wufei again, and we'd all go off-world.

Damn Khushrenada. We'll see who gets Wufei.

* * *

It took about ten days, but I was finally able to find someone who could get the bracelet taken off. In the meantime, I could also follow Duo, Heero and Wufei's movements through operatives within the resistance. The pilots never did make it off Earth, but they did manage to evade Treize's Specials for a remarkable length of time, and even managed to stay together for a series of different types of jobs. In a lot of ways, it was like the old days. Every time I heard of their exploits, I felt proud. Wufei gained strength from being around Duo, and even from being with Heero. I knew they would take care of him until I was able to be there. 

An odd thought, considering that Wufei was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Wasn't he?

* * *

"Quatre. I have to leave. I can't stay here with you. I'm putting you and everyone around me in danger." 

"No, you don't, Sally. We'll protect you."

I had been with Quatre and the Manguanacs for about three weeks, trying to help them with their campaign in the desert. At this point, though, it was a miracle that the Manguanacs - or what was left of them - were able to move anywhere in the region, considering I was with them, but they managed. Barely.

They were obviously less than thrilled that I had decided to seek sanctuary with Quatre, but weren't going to gainsay their leader and his choice of friends. The Manguanacs, if nothing else, were terribly sensitive and polite people, and loyal to a man with regard to Quatre and the Winner family. Their occupation was dangerous and they accepted it; they simply did not want to add to the danger surrounding Quatre. They saw me as an extra liability that they could do just as soon do without, but they certainly weren't going to tell Quatre what advisors he should and should not surround himself with.

"No. Quatre - look what happened yesterday. People died trying to get me out of that town. I don't want that to continue."

It was close; too close, in fact. The intensity of the fights of late had been turned up several notches. Everything and everyone had been aimed at one target. Me.

At _me. _

I could hardly believe it. Panting, swinging, kicking my way through the crowd, I looked into the faces of the OZ troops and recognized something familiar in the set of their shoulders, the glint in their eyes. I fought down panic and forced myself to think. It was the only thing that saved me, and in the end, was the only reason I reached the other Manguanacs and safety.

Specials. They were _all _Specials - all Treize's Specials

_Treize _sent them.

I fought like a demon to get out. And that, given my circumstances, was terribly ironic.

* * *

Then came the awful news that Wufei's colony - A0205 - had been destroyed, along with the whispers that the inhabitants had destroyed it themselves. Add to that gruesome fact that suddenly, Wufei was nowhere to be found, and my worries multiplied exponentially. Wufei was alive - I felt his presence all the time within me - but it was weak. It didn't feel the same as it had before, either. It wasn't as strong and vibrant; now I felt anxiety, and fear, and anger, and something that didn't seem to belong to him - or rather, something I couldn't identify. I knew I had to hurry. 

"I have to leave, Quatre. I have to find Wufei. I can feel him, and he's not well. He needs me." I realized that Wufei would only blame himself. I also began to think that some of the dreams I had been having lately might have been - well - prophetic. And those dreams were the kind I didn't want to have in the first place, terrible, uncomfortable things that they were.

Quatre's penetrating gaze seemed to see right through me and down to my toes, hearing my private ruminations."Get some rest, Sally. You need it. We all do. You'll find Wufei, but you must take care of yourself first."

I couldn't say no to Quatre. Who could? Especially when he seemed to know the subtext of everything I said. I nodded and sighed, turned around and trudged back to my room, dejected.

Not bothering to turn on the lights, I walked over to my cot and tumbled onto it, fully dressed, only stopping to kick off my shoes. At least the room was dark and quiet, for which I was grateful. The cot was shoved into the corner of the room, against two walls. Several uncomfortable minutes passed until I realized I wasn't going to be able to rest laying down; sighing, I dragged myself up into a sitting position, shoved a pillow behind my back and leaned against the wall.

Now with my back to the wall, I closed my eyes and let my chin droop toward my chest, every ounce of energy wrung out of me. Resting, just a little, would help enormously. Sleep would help even more - even five minutes of sleep would help. I couldn't, though - no, I _wouldn't _- allow myself to fall asleep. If I fell asleep, I'd dream. And if I dreamed ...

Gads, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Quatre knew, somehow, that I didn't want to sleep - that's why he told me to rest. I didn't tell him why I refused to sleep, and he didn't ask. He was just too damned nice to say anything.

I lifted my head and thumped it gently back against the wall, thinking. Hair tickled the end of my nose. It couldn't be bad to just close my eyelids for a few minutes. They were so heavy, so terribly heavy. I needed to rest for just a few minutes. Just a few more minutes ...

* * *

Dreams, people told me, were the subconscious mind's way of reaching out to the conscious mind. Dreams were where people synthesized everything that happened to them during the day; their real feelings came out, and after that, they would awaken refreshed, realizing what they needed to do in their lives. 

That was nice, but my dreams weren't like that. They weren't nice, safe, fuzzy places. They were odd, frightening, things, showing me things I didn't understand. They usually made NO sense, left me feeling unsettled and inadequate, and brutalized me every time I closed my eyes. If they were prophecy, I never knew if they were going to come true today, or tomorrow - or hey, maybe_ never_, who knew? perhaps it was just a regular dream, something that I _wished _would come true ... how could I tell anymore? Wufei, I miss you terribly ... I was so confused, and so alone ....

Finally, I started to doze.

* * *

_I blinked and looked around. Where was I? A town square somewhere, probably in a small town in Europe. It was dusk - not quite night - and it was snowing. The street lamps were lit, sending oddly shaped patches of light scurrying everywhere. Snow crunched on the ground underneath my feet, but I was not cold. Odd, that ... I felt no cold, but I could hear the crunch of the snow, see a snowflake on my outstretched palm, watch my breath in front of me ..._

_...but wait ..._

_... there, sitting under a statue, huddled against the cold, was the lone figure of a man. As I drew closer I saw he was more hunched than huddled, and more boy than man. Dark, lank hair hung across his face, shielding eyes that had no spark or enthusiasm, no creativity, no joy. He was simply waiting for something - life? death? who knew? His chest quivered, shallow breaths moving it in and out, breath automatically rasping its way through a tortured passageway. Snow lay in his lap and on his shoulders. Snow also covered his head; he was as heedless of the weather as were the birds in the square. Something else lay across his shoulders - something that was difficult to see, but every now and then it shimmered and flexed, sending rainbow cascades of light rippling across different parts of his body. _

_"Wufei? Wufei, it's you ..." I whispered, incredulous. "And that's ... that's the dragon ..."_

_It was the dragon, too. The wee little thing lay on top of Wufei's clothes, right across his collarbone, and was a translucent, washed out reddish gold, a far cry from its former beauty. Not quite of this world, it looked at me with sad, tired eyes. _

_I looked around, my head swiveling in all directions. "Where are where, Wufei?" I wondered, my breath barely passing my lips. "We have to get out of here quickly, but -" _

_A long shadow fell across the square as another figure walked up next to one of the streetlights. This person was tall - tall and broad, clad in dark colors that blended into the surroundings and had a long, swinging coat. He stood at the side of the square, the collar of his overcoat turned up against the cold, snow scattered on his shoulders._

_His voice, low and comforting, came out of the shadows. "Wufei."_

_Wufei looked up when he heard his name. He stiffened when he saw the man, but didn't move. He barely shook his head and dropped his gaze, looking steadfastly at the the ground. _

_The man walked from the darkness and then across the square, unhurried, his scarf fluttering in a sudden gust of snow. To my everlasting horror, I knew immediately who it was._

_It was Treize._

_He stopped several paces in front of Wufei and regarded him for several moments in silence. When he spoke again, his voice was kind, unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world. _

_"Wufei. Come home with me. It's time."_

_Poor Wufei's face twisted. He refused to meet Treize's gaze; instead, he hitched once and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand._

_Treize knelt in front of Wufei and gently cupped Wufei's face in his hands, drawing Wufei's palms away from his face, not allowing him to hide or turn away. "Come home with me, dragon," he murmured, very tender, not judging, stroking Wufei's cheek. "You are tired, and it is time. Come with me."_

_Wufei blinked, looked at him a long moment, then buried his head in Treize's chest, still hitching, his hands tangled in Treize's coat. The dragon dove right into Treize and stayed there, desperate for comfort and healing; apparently, it had been keening for days on end. Treize folded his arms around Wufei and drew him into his embrace. He kissed the top of his head, then gently enveloped him with his wings, protecting him from the rest of the world. _

* * *

"Wufei? _WUFEI, NO!"_

I gasped and sat straight up, my head thumping the wall, a horrid pain along my shoulder, and found myself reaching out for him. I sat still for a few moments, catching my breath, forcing myself to calm down, lower my arms and stretch. After my heart fell back into a more even rhythm, I slid my legs over the side of the cot. I had to go to him, find him, guard him, help him, get him away from Treize, away from -

Soft shuffling and pattering sounds were in the hallway. I heard tapping on my door along with a muffled voice. "Sally? Sally? Are you all right?"

My feet dangled just above my shoes as I reached for my sweater. The door open a crack, and a tousled blonde head poked inside the door.

"Quatre?"

"Yes, Sally. You were dreaming again. Are you all right?" He walked over to me quickly, his face radiating concern, his blue eyes wide.

"I - I'm fine, Quatre. I'm fine. I was - gads, Quatre, it was so _real." _Taking a deep breath, I looked at him and felt a pang of conscience. The poor boy looked so concerned, standing next to me in his pajamas and robe, his hair all askew, that I felt terribly guilty and wanted to explain. "Please understand, Quatre - I don't have a choice anymore. I have to go. I can't wait. It's - it _feels_ - it's time for me to go. He needs me, Quatre. I must protect him." I was already stuffing clothes into a duffel bag, not looking at him.

"Sally. Don't feel badly about it, please." I didn't know how he did it, but he knew exactly how I felt. His expression was sad and resigned. " .... if you must go, you must."

"I have to." I shoved a light coat and my toothbrush into the duffel and quickly zipped the bag. Slipping my feet into my shoes, I grabbed a dark jacket from the end of the cot and shrugged it on, then turned and looked down at the small pilot.

"Goodbye, Quatre," I said, smiling a little, feeling wistful. "Thanks for having me. I'll return the favor when I can. Hopefully, without so much - erm - attention."

"Sally," he replied, giving me an answering smile that was like liquid gold. "There's no need. Now get going, while you still have time."

I didn't waste any time. I gave him a hug, slung the duffel across my shoulders, and trotted out of the safe house.

Toward Wufei. To save him.

* * *


	2. Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 2

**Tapestry, Book 2 **

**Chapter 2 **

* * *

Turkish coffee used to be difficult to find in Luxembourg. Only a few small cafés brewed it the right way; hot enough to burn your tongue, strong enough to make your eyes water. 

"More coffee, miss?"

I smiled, tugging my hood closer to my face. "Oh, no. Not yet, thanks."

It wasn't hard to find anymore, though - not since Treize and his entourage moved in. Apparently, all the Specials and many of the OZ soldiers drank nothing _but_ Turkish coffee, which made the Middle Eastern merchants happy. The aroma of dark, rich beans floated through the air, mixing with cinnamon and cloves. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the heady scent as much as the incredible jolt of caffeine that kept me awake. During the past 72 hours, as I traveled from northern Africa to Luxembourg on my quest to find Wufei, it was the caffeine as much as the danger that kept me frosty and alert.

While intellectually I knew - I knew! - that not all OZ could possibly be looking for me, I was seriously starting to doubt my own sanity. Every highway I traveled, every corner I turned, wherever I looked, it was always the same. Someone from OZ had been there before me, but not in a good way. Now they were mingling with the locals, chatting up informants, going to restaurants, and discos and local pubs ... and gods. They were all looking for and talking about me.

_Me_.

Friendly, intimate conversations. Flashing a smile, a recent photo of me and my stats. "Have you seen this woman? When? How long ago?"

Things were bad when I was with Quatre - but when I was with him, at least, I had been with a resistance group, and we had been doing things that merited attention. Now I was simply traveling by myself, and suddenly people were coming after me with a vengeance.

I hardly knew what I was doing; I felt like I was groping, moving on intuition alone. A terrible foreboding and sense of urgency was drowning me; I knew where Wufei was, who he was with, because I saw it in my dreams. I was so sure that I needed to follow my instincts, go to Luxembourg and get Wufei out of there. Take him away from the most powerful man-demon on earth; go right up to that - man's - home, and take Wufei away, if for nothing else than for his own good.

And it was all due to my dreams, those horrid, prophetic dreams I had every time I closed my eyes, where Wufei looked so weary, so drained, so unlike himself. He was ill, and I had to go to him, to help him, to heal him ...

I dropped my head into my hands, closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. Maybe I should have more coffee.

Considering the 20 minute power naps in doorways as people strode by, believing I was a vagrant, or the 5 minute catnaps I snatched on the undergounds, I think I slept for a total of eight hours as I stumbled to Luxembourg. At one point I took a two hour nap on the floor of a flatbed truck, snuggled up to some loose turnips, covered by a burlap bag. We bumped our way toward the Alps, the turnips and I, across the back roads of Italy. I only remember becoming terribly cold; _that_ finally shocked me awake. I hardly stirred when the truck veered off the road into a large ditch, turnips flying all around.

When I walked on the street I kept my hood up, my hair hidden, my eyes sharp and my mouth closed. That's what a guerilla fighter did; she blended into the crowd, faded into the background until she was indistinguishable from the regular population. It was an effective strategy; no one recognized me. Now, as I listened to snatches of conversation from the OZ soldiers around me, I realized with a sinking sensation why it worked so well.

"Nah. Last time they actually saw her was outside Cairo, like a week or so ago," a large, affable OZ sergeant remarked to his companion. They walked into the café, two large, burly men in flak jackets with rifles and ammunition, and sat down at a table next to mine. I turned slowly so that my back was toward them. The bigger man unslung his gun from his shoulder and leaned it against the table, close to me. "Her and about fifty other rebels."

"So why are _we_ on high alert?"

"Oh, you know. Protocol, that sort of thing. She's unpredictable. But there's no way in hell that she'd actually come here. I mean, c'mon - look at this place. She'd have to be _crazy._" He chuckled, and the other man joined in.

I looked into the dark liquid in my cup, wondering. _Am I completely crazy?_

"What would she want?"

"Who knows? Like I said, she's wild. Unpredictable. But remember - if you see her, don't do anything. Call the Specials. They're the ones trained to deal with her."

I almost spit out my coffee. Gads - the _Specials?_ Regular OZ wouldn't do?

"Right. They'll do the job. Probably call the General, too."

Oh. Fabulous. I made a mental note to myself not to get caught. The General was the _last _person I wanted to see.

After a while, their conversation wandered off into other areas. Quietly, discreetly, I got up from my chair, left enough money on the table to cover the bill and the tip, then slipped out the front door, never looking back. I made sure that I walked out at the same time a larger party left and a new party arrived.

Mingle with the crowd, Sally. Just get out and get moving. You don't have much time.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later I stood across the street from a magnificent, four storied town home in the middle of Luxembourg, hands jammed inside my pockets, a hollow feeling in my gut. Its graceful spires reached for the night sky, while its clean lines and symmetric style bespoke hundreds of years of tradition. That style and elegance carried through all sections of the deceptively long building, as far as I could see down the street and from the ground to the roof. Second and third story balconies, with both granite and iron balustrades, were full to overflowing with roses, peonies, hydrangeas, and a host of other foliage. It looked beautiful. My fingers clenched. 

A small, narrow alley beckoned on my left, inviting me to inspect the house from another angle. Several quick glances assured me that no one was following my movements - indeed, for a main residence, Treize was taking remarkably few precautions. It seemed that he only had a squadron of Specials with him, unless he had a contingent of them in the basement.

Ah. The basement. I shifted uncomfortably at that, recalling the house on the island and what happened during my foray into its basement. That was the night Une loosed the dogs in the house, the night I found myself trapped in the small library with one of the hounds and no way out. I was nearly killed; the only reason I was alive was because Wufei saved me. Now it was my turn to save _him_.

Determined, I stayed in the shadows, studying the house. I could feel Wufei; in fact, it felt as if he was sleeping. There was a small, slight energy surge that recognized as his, regular as a heartbeat, not excited, not slow. Tilting my head to the side and closing my eyes, I tried to imagine where he was, and realized I could pinpoint his exact location.

"There," I murmured, opening my eyes and looking up at a darkened room on the third floor. "Right ... there. And I know how to get to you."

His room did not have a balcony attached to it, but there was a room close to it on the third floor that did. Ivy covered that part of the house; its tendrils crawled up the wall from the first to the second story. It was an easy climb from the second to the third story as well, since the ivy worked its way up the side of the house as well as decorative ironwork. Strategically camouflaged by a large potted fir and ivy on the second story balcony was a lovely Athenian trellis.

I pulled myself deeper into the gloom and watched the foot traffic. Wealthy, well-heeled pedestrians strolled back and forth, doing their business, either completely oblivious to the sharpshooters on the roof or totally nonchalant about it. Not a raised eyebrow anywhere - and that was unusual, indicating that these people were used to that kind of protection.

Hmm. I chewed on that for a few moments. The fact that a high level of security didn't merit a passing glance from anyone gave me a moment's pause. Security wasn't something they questioned. They accepted that Treize had that level of defense, and that most people in that area had some type of personal protection; for them, it was simply the status quo.

On the other hand, I did notice that no other home in the neighborhood had sharpshooters on _their_ roof. That meant that when I got Wufei out, no one else was going to be shooting at us. Good.

The home detail changed several times while I waited. The security squad walked two circuits of the mansion, then disappeared around the back of the building. Two people were visible on point by the glint of the moonlight off their night goggles. It was odd; their lines of sight were limited, obscured by the very foliage that made the mansion so attractive from the street. In fact, the longer I thought about it, the more I had to chuckle. OZ gave me an unintentional gift; a breach in their own security, a hole large enough to drive one of their own armored trucks through. Even with all their soldiers on premises with their sophisticated weaponry, I estimated it would take me between 60 to 90 seconds to cross the street, scale the wall and get into the building undetected. The jeweler's cutting tool in my pocket was light, along with the suction cup and the small electronic deadening device Quatre gave me when I worked with him. I wasn't taking any chances. I was getting in, grabbing Wufei, and getting out.

One by one, the house lights dimmed. I thought I saw Treize's shadow once, and I froze; but I sternly told myself that even if he was there, it didn't matter. I was simply going in, grabbing Wufei, and leaving. That was it. I hadn't clearly worked out the "leaving" part in my mind, but figured that I'd improvise once I was inside. I wasn't there to fight; I was a guerilla. This was a 'snatch and grab' mission - that was all. In and out, period. No one would see me.

Right. That's why my heart was beating so hard I swore the people across the street could hear it. I shoved my hands deep in my jacket pockets, clenching the jeweler's tool and suction cup, and moved deeper into the shadow. I stood there staring at the mansion for a good hour after all the lights had been extinguished. Just to be sure, I told myself. Just ... to be sure.

_Coward. He knows you're out here. You know that. He feels you, the same as you feel Wufei. He's waiting for you. _

I hated that little voice of mine. Hate, hate, hate. I glanced up at the roof; the point guards were looking at the opposite side of the mansion. I realized the other guards had just completed their circuit. It was time to go.

_Fuck off, voice. I'm no coward - I'm going in now. It's the right time. _

Silently I ran across the street, caught the ivy with one hand and literally walked up the wall, hand over hand, to the third floor balcony. Dropping lightly on the balls of my feet, the electronic silencer was out and installed on the door in seconds. Quatre was as good as his word; there was no popping, no hissing - only a small _snick _and the security system for that door and window was disabled. It couldn't pick the lock, though - it wasn't that sophisticated.

Immediately, I set to work with my other tools. In seconds, I removed a small pane of glass from the door that allowed me to open it from the inside. No fuss, no muss, no noise. I slipped inside unnoticed, a tiny spore floating on the breeze.

My eyes were accustomed to the dark. I was lucky; I was in an unused bedroom. Breathing a sigh of relief, I walked over to the main door and cracked it open an inch or two. Light streamed into the room; I blinked, then knelt down and peered into the hall, holding my breath.

No one was there. At least, no one was on this floor that I could see. The furnishing was opulent, but tasteful, with large, thick golden rugs and stylized paintings. The lighting was dim and the hallway was wide. It gave me the feeling I was in the first house - the country house - and the island mansion at the same time. And that feeling - it was ... ah ... it was confusing ...

I shook my head rapidly, blinking. No - no, that wasn't good thinking, not good thinking at _all. _Gads, what was _wrong _with me? I needed to focus on Wufei, getting him and getting out. That was the plan, and that was all I needed to think about. Not about anything else, no, not at all.

Breathing deeply, I pushed the door open a little wider, my gaze darting about. No one was in the corridor. The Specials were in the house, but certainly weren't geared up for any kind of intruder or attack. I closed the door quietly and started off toward Wufei - or, more accurately, where I thought Wufei was being kept. His room was at the end of a long hallway. I was halfway there when I heard talking and laughing directly behind me.

Without hesitation I opened the first door on the right and plunged behind it, praying it wasn't hiding only the shelves of a linen closet. It was wide and pitch black behind the door. Immediately, I flattened myself against a side wall and silently pulled the door closed, praying they were unobservant enough to hear nothing. I sagged a little in relief as the Specials passed me seconds later, their voices muted by the thickness of the mahogany door. I let out a little sigh and relaxed my shoulders. _Thank the gods ... _

"I was wondering when you'd come."

The sound of that particular baritone was enough to stop my heart. My body automatically snapped back against the wall as if jerked by strings. I froze in place and stopped breathing completely.

_... ohgodsno ... this can't be real ... ohgodsno please tell me I didn't just walk into this man's **bedroom** OHGODSNO..._

My leap from the bright light of the hallway to absolute darkness had forced my eyes to dilate. I had been blinded for a few precious seconds, and never noticed the irregular shape of an overstuffed chair several paces to my left.

A large figure rose with effortless, leonine grace and took several easy strides across the deep pile carpet toward the door, passing close enough to me so that the faint aroma of roses tickled my nose. He opened the door, tilted his head and regarded me with an unreadable expression, broad shoulders silhouetted against the hall light.

...ohgods. It was Treize.

We stared at each other for a full minute. I'm not sure why, other than he was allowing me the luxury of thinking about my incredibly stupid plan and how I avoided considering ... him.

In fact, that was the incredibly stupid part of my plan.

"Are you coming?" he asked gently.

I finally found my voice. " ... yes. I - I'm coming."

* * *

We walked down the hallway together. Treize deliberately guided me right past the hallway guards, the very same ones who had walked by the bedroom, his hand on the small of my back. They started at me, completely taken aback; I raised my chin at them and sniffed a little. 

Ha. _Some_one's head's gonna roll tomorrow, you betcha.

As Treize opened the door of the last bedroom to usher me inside, I found enough courage to glance up at him and raise an eyebrow. "You should do something about your security around here." I shrugged. "Almost anyone could just - walk in."

"Indeed." He gave me a meaningful look as he beckoned me into the room. "I had no idea you were so protective of my interests."

I had something caustic to say to him, right on the tip of my tongue, but all my words died there. Instead, cold horror squeezed and twisted my heart, burrowing into me as I tracked his gaze to the bed. I tried to push past Treize because Wufei was there - and I had to reach Wufei, I _had_ to, he looked so -

"Wufei ... oh, Wufei ..."

Treize caught my shoulders and held me fast, forcing me instead to take a good, long, look from the doorway. Wufei was asleep in the darkened bedroom, sprawled in his bed, his sheets and covers strewn about. He was always a lean but sturdy boy, a golden sheen of skin taut over tight sinews and muscle. This Wufei, however, had a pale, sallow complexion, dark circles smudged under sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, and dark, fine hair lying limply across his neck. He looked ghastly. At least his breathing was regular, but now that I was closer, I could hear that he was hitching a little.

And the dragon ... gads, the poor little thing looked exactly as he looked in my dreams. Tired, dispirited, its color no longer a proud reddish gold, it simply lay on top of Wufei, as thin as my arm, undulating a little but otherwise hardly moving.

"No! What're you doing? What's _wrong_ with him? Let me go, I have to go to him - !" I tried to pull away from Treize, but instead he turned me around to face him, his hands firmly on my arms, his stare uncomfortably intense.

"He needs you," he said evenly, never taking his blue gaze from mine. "Do you plan on leaving him again?"

I looked up at him, open mouthed, astonished. _Do I plan on ...? _"What? Well, no, I - I ... no. No. I - I don't."

Oh, but now my mind was catching up with his words, and their true meaning was penetrating my self-induced fog. If Treize had Wufei, which he unquestionably did - and Treize had _me_, which was thoughtless on my part, but all the same was true - and now Treize asked me if I planned on _leaving _Wufei again, and I had just replied _no_, then essentially I had just said - and I was finding it harder and harder to breathe - ohgods, please tell me I hadn't just done this, too -

That horrid little voice of mine taunted me, laughing. _Oh, yes, Sally Po, you did. You just agreed to give up your freedom forever for Wufei, self-sacrificing cow that you are. You just agreed not to try to escape from him again. Ever. Now aren't YOU a clever little human? _

All that passed through my mind in the blink of an eye. I could have screamed.

In the next blink, I found what I hoped was the loophole.

_SHUT UP, you nasty thing. I never said I wouldn't take Wufei anywhere. I simply said I didn't plan on leaving him again, and I won't. _

Something flickered deep in Treize's eyes as he gazed at me, something that pinned me in place and made me acutely aware of how incredibly powerful he was and how terribly weak I was. I blinked a little and shrank back, afraid.

"Good," Treize said softly, bending close so that his face was even with mine, "because, Sally Po, I will not allow you to leave again."

"I ... you won't ... oh ..." I swallowed and felt my eyes widen in response. I froze in place for the second time that evening. That was _very_ clear. He had just closed and tied my loophole for me, very tidy, very neat. Almost as if he had heard me thinking - but no, that was impossible ...

He looked back, smiling slightly. "Shhh, now. He needs you." Releasing my arms, Treize turned me around and slid my coat from my arms at the same time, then gave me a gentle shove in Wufei's direction. "Go to him."

I looked back and nodded, still spooked, swallowing hard. Cowardly wasn't an adjective that I normally associated with myself, but this man, or demon, or whatever he was, scared me right down to my bones. The vision of him rising over the blazing island inferno, his wings spread, laughing, was one that was literally burned into my brain.

Then I turned and looked at Wufei. Once I saw him, my fear dropped away as if had never existed; he was the only thing that filled my mind. Feeling a little schitzoid, I staggered a bit, blinked, and made my way over to the bed. I never looked back.

Carefully, carefully, I sat down, trying not to disturb him. Wufei turned his face in my direction, his eyes tightly closed; the dragon was snuffing, its muzzle waving up and down a little. I pushed my shoes off and drew my legs underneath me as I reached for him, pulling him into my arms. I lay next to him, smoothing his hair away from his forehead. He was clammy to the touch, restless in his sleep.

"Wufei," I whispered, holding him.

He made a soft sound and rolled into my embrace, like a child. The dragon did the same thing. In fact, the dragon wrapped himself around me several times, and then dipped _inside_ me.

"Aaahhhh," I gasped, shocked, the world going white for an instant. That sensation - of the dragon diving _through_ me, not penetrating my body per se, but penetrating my soul - was electrifying, akin to orgasmic pleasure. I lay next to Wufei for several minutes, his warm breath in my face, trying to regain my equilibrium.

Here he was, Chang Wufei, the person I had been dreaming about, sleeping and secure in my arms. And now I ... I was warm and secure, too, just like Wufei. It was oddly comforting; and without warning, my eyes closed of their own accord. I forced them open, and realized someone had covered us with thick, soft blankets. Someone was watching over us, protecting both of us, keeping us safe. I tried to speak, but didn't even have the strength to open my lips, I was so tired.

My last coherent thought before I fell asleep. _... was ... that ... ?_

_Sleep, Sally. Sleep. You need it. You both need it. _

My eyes closed again, and this time I couldn't reopen them.

* * *

At some point during the night? day? I had no idea - I woke up and realized I needed to use the bathroom. At first I was disoriented, as I had no idea where I was or how to move out of Wufei's iron grip. Once I figured out how to wiggle out of bed, I padded through the room and found the door I needed to get into the attached bath. 

Blinking, I shuffled inside and found it was just as luxuriously appointed as I thought it would be. Not only that - it had sets of men's white Chinese pajamas, for which I was eternally grateful. I had been wearing the same rumpled shirt for the last 72 hours, and ached for a good long soak and clean, warm clothing.

"Ah," I sighed in happiness as I turned on the hot water full blast. I was going to get this room as steamy and hot as possible.

* * *

The towels were just as soft and warm as I expected, and the mineral scrub was exactly the same type as I had used on the island. My skin was tingling and warm, and I was sleepy again, ready to crawl back into bed. 

As I padded back to bed, I happened to glance toward the doorway to the rest of the house. While I was bathing, someone came into the room and left crackers, fruit and tea on the table by the door. How did I know when it happened? Only because the tea was still steaming ...

I stared at it for a few moments, considering. Then my stomach, sick to death with my balky mind, overruled it and growled, loud enough for the entire third floor to hear.

"Fine. I'll _feed_ you. Geez, you'd think I hadn't put any food in you for a _week_ with that kind of noise."

That was very nearly true, but that wasn't the point. Making a wry face, I padded across the carpet to the table, made myself a plate of fruit, cheese and crackers, poured some tea, then sat down to eat in the half gloom. In just a few minutes, the fruit and cheese were gone. Vanished. And my stomach was clamoring for more. Gads.

It felt like someone was chuckling, right in back of my shoulders. Annoyed, I shrugged and reached for more food.

_Yes, well ... fine. So I'm hungry ... so what? I can eat more if I want to. The food's here. Leave me alone. Feh._

If I could scowl and eat, I would. I ate most of the fruit and cheese and drank all the tea, it tasted so good. At the end, it felt as if something was petting me, stroking me like a favorite cat, from the crown of my head to the middle of my back.

_Good girl. _

Long strokes, down the center of my back, right down my spine. Warm, comforting, throbbing pulses moved along tiny muscles; I was relaxed and drowsy, my head was nodding and my eyes were closing. I needed to go back to bed.

It was hard, but I stiffened my arms, pushed myself out of the chair and tottered back to bed. Apparently, Wufei had noticed I was gone; he had wrapped his arms around my pillow and was nuzzling it a bit. I smiled, climbed in and murmured, "Give me back my pillow, Wufei. I want to use it."

"Mmf?"

"Pillow, Wu." With my eyes slits, I gently unwrapped his hands and reclaimed my pillow, then snuggled next to him. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around me at the same time the baby dragon wrapped itself around and around me. This time, though, the dragon did not dip inside me. I was braced for that weird, pulsing shock, and felt both bereft and relieved that it didn't happen.

We lay together like young siblings, wrapped around each other for support and comfort and warmth. The last thing I remembered was Wufei breathing lightly on my neck, his arms and legs snaking easily around my back and hips, a soft comforter covering both of us. My head was in the hollow of his shoulder, and I felt safe for the first time in ages.

And then I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"S - sally?" 

My name was whispered in hushed tones, right in my ear. I murmured and tried to burrow farther into my pillow which had inexplicably turned bumpy and hard. Comfortable and warm, I really didn't want to get up.

_No, no, not yet ... it's not time to get up yet. Let me sleep. Go 'way. _

Something nudged me, something that felt shivery and good and weird right at my shoulder. "Sally - is that really you?"

Now there was a cool rush of air across my cheek, a feather light touch brushing across my face. Blinking, I slitted my eyes open and saw two dark, ebony eyes staring at me. Eyes that were familiar.

"... _Sally._" It was Wufei. His smile was wide, incredulous, happy. He looked and sounded as if he didn't believe as if I was there, that it was the most amazing thing to see me lying next to him.

I smiled back, relief and genuine joy flooding through me. I wanted to reach over and hug and squeeze him until there was no breath left in his body.

"It's really me, Wufei. I'm really here." With a sleepy grin, I reached over and playfully tweaked his nose. The dragon snorted and bumped his head against mine, telling me in no uncertain terms that _he_ was thrilled. I chuckled. He nuzzled my hair, and there it was again - that weird, tickly feeling that woke me up, as if the dragon was next to me and inside my head at the same time.

"You - you're really ..." And just as suddenly as joy spread across his face, horror replaced it. Wufei rolled over and sat up, looking down at me, his mouth a tight, narrow line. "Oh gods, he _got_ you ..."

Lifting myself up on my elbows, I sighed, squinted and shook stray pieces of hair out of my eyes. "Wufei ... I came back to rescue you."

We stared at each other for several moments, neither moving a muscle. It felt as if we were taking each other's measure; in fact, it felt as if Wufei was weighing something, deciding whether or not to speak.

"Why?" he finally asked.

"Because - " I shrugged, helpless to explain, "because - I - had to, Wufei. I just had to." It wasn't a satisfying explanation, but it would have to do. I couldn't even explain it to myself; it was a compulsion, something that tugged at me, pulled at me from the inside out, an invisible tether that tied us together. It was weird; but there was no denying that I felt much better when I was with him than away from him.

After a while, he dropped his gaze and frowned at the French doors of the room. "I'm not leaving, Sally, but you should. Does anyone else know you're here?" The dragon, poor translucent baby he was, had huge, panicked eyespots. His smooth, reddish gold head was undulating, darting and weaving furtively from left to right, as if searching for an exit for me.

First reactions were telling; I felt my cheeks burn as last night's memory played out again in my mind. "Um ... well ... yes. Treize - ah - caught me after I snuck into the house."

_Hah - watched you stumble into the house was more like it, _my mind chortled. _Wanna tell him how you walked right into his BEDROOM where -_

_Shut UP! That doesn't help_! If I knew it would get rid of that sarcastic, mouthy little voice in my head, I'd gladly beat myself senseless.

His shoulders slumped and his face fell. "Damn it," he sighed, sliding for the edge of the bed. "Maybe I can talk him into letting you go."

"I don't think that's going to be possible, Wufei."

He wasn't listening to me. By this time, Wufei was out of bed and hunting around for his clothes. I sat in the middle of the bed and watched, disturbed. If I hadn't been absolutely sure he wasn't well before, this clinched it; the Wufei I knew and had lived for months was neat almost to a fault. He would _never_ have left his clothing strewn about his room haphazardly, dropped all over the furniture and the floor. It was odd, as if I was watching another person walking in Wufei's body.

"Wufei," I said, keeping my voice pitched low, "Wufei, listen. Treize - he already told me last night, he's - he won't allow me to leave again."

That did get his attention. He stopped gathering clothes and stared at me, his eyes very large and dark, then sat down abruptly on the end of the bed.

"...shit."

Sighing, I slid over to him on my knees, the silk of the pajamas moving easily over the bed sheets."Really, I suppose it could be worse. I could be locked away in a prison somewhere, but instead, I'm here with you." I patted his arm, right by his shoulder, giving him a tiny smile. "That helps a little, you know. But you, Wufei - I do worry about you. You had a choice. You left - but you chose to come back here, back to Treize. And now you've just told me that you're not going to leave." I forced myself to keep my voice mild and even. "Why, Wufei? Why?"

Of all the things that happened - and lately, there had been so many - that one, in particular, really did hurt. I was mystified. Wufei had had a choice, and he chose to _return_ to Treize. Not only did he choose to return, he returned without telling me or Heero or Duo, or anyone who might have actually been able to help him cope with whatever was bothering him. Why?

On the other hand, maybe there wasn't anyone else who could help him cope. I vaguely remembered Trowa saying something at one point:

_Indeed. __Sally - Treize woke the dragon - something that is intended for a life mate. Erasing that bond will be difficult, if not impossible._

_What are you telling me, Trowa? That - that Treize, whatever he is, is NOW Wufei's life mate? WHAT?_

I had been so aghast that anything else he said at the moment had been lost, crushed beneath the weight of his nonchalant words. Trowa habitually did things like that - telling me important, gut-wrenching information and then leaving me stranded, dumbfounded and overwhelmed, stuck on my own to sort things out. Yet another aspect of Trowa's nonhuman nature; he didn't know how give me information at all.

Clearly, Wufei steeled himself before he said anything to me; his shoulders were back, his jaw set and his expression was blank. "I'm where I belong, Sally," he replied with an effort. "At least for now."

"But how do you know?" I pressed.

"I know," he said, turning away. "I just know. I don't want to try to explain it right now. I wasn't expecting to have to excuse myself to anyone. Let me think about it for a while, then I'll give you your answer." He turned back, his expression strained. "But I know I'm right. This is where I belong, at least for now. He knows it, too. That's why he hasn't made me promise anything this time around."

Stung, I could do nothing but stare at him in silence. I dropped back and sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, trying to project bland mildness, even though a ragged hole had been ripped right through my chest and heart.

_Duo and Heero and I took you away from him, away from him and the pain he caused when you wanted it and needed it, but you came back anyway. And I knew you needed me - I could feel it, it was so strong - so I came back for you, to rescue you. And now - now I'm trapped, probably forever, and you're telling me I shouldn't have bothered. _

"Oh ... I - see. Well." I shook my head from side to side. My voice sounded raspy. Swallowing past unfamiliar bitterness that almost closed my throat, I looked down at the comforter. "Don't justify yourself to me, Wufei. It's your decision, not mine."

"But I _want_ to justify myself to you. I'm just not going to do it now."

"... fine, Wufei. Fine. Whatever you say. When you're ready, tell me."

There was nothing else to say. I slid to the opposite side of the bed, combed my fingers through my hair, and sighed. What a mess.

We were both silent. "Are you hungry?" Wufei asked after a few moments..

I shrugged, not looking at him. "A little, I guess. Someone left some fruit and cheese last night while I was bathing. It's over there."

At least it used to be - the table where I ate was now clean, bare of china and utensils, not a crumb or a napkin in sight.

"Oh. I guess - someone came in and cleaned up," I said, bewildered, glancing at him.

Wufei barely nodded in acknowledgement. "Right. They do that," he agreed, abstracted, still looking at the other side of the room. He stared over there for several minutes more, then took a long, shuddering sigh and gazed right at me.

"I'll have to ask him what he wants, Sally. I don't know what he wants to do. You can come with me if you want. "

Chilling words, words that cut right to the bone and sliced my hope to bits. Incongruously, I sat at the end of the bed, looked into his face and thought how ridiculous I must look - dressed in a pair of men's white Chinese pajamas, with no slippers and my hair finger combed, tousled over my shoulders, not even in proper braids. And now I had been invited to go find Treize so we could discuss my fate. Gads, how lucky could one girl get?

Embittered, I thought again how Jouten had a terribly sick, twisted sense of humor when it came to me and my life. Previously - before the war, before Wufei, before Treize, before any of this madness began - I never thought about a spiritual side of life. This must be Jouten's revenge, I figured, because at this point, I would never be free of thinking about it, no matter how long I lived.

If that's the way things were, then Jouten, I decided with some heat, could just go pound sand. _I _didn't think it was very funny.

"Sure, Wufei," I said, unenthusiastic. "I'll come with you. We'll find Treize."

* * *

We made an odd couple padding down the hallway together. The only difference between us, other than my blonde hair and his dark hair, was that his pajamas were orange while mine were white. 

I couldn't tell what time it was, other than it was some time during the day, probably the afternoon. Sunlight was streaming though the windows of the bedrooms he opened. They looked pleasant, sparkling and sunny. I wished I felt as cheery as they looked.

As Wufei opened each door and stuck his head inside, looking for Treize, the dragon did the same thing. Curled around and around Wufei, he stretched his neck into each room as far as it would go, searching.

I hung back in the hall and watched him methodically go from room to room, knock, open the door and then look inside. There were marked differences in the appearance of the dragon from the poor, dispirited thing I saw when I arrived and the cute little translucent thing wrapped in and around Wufei right now.

"Ah - Treize." His voice floated out to me from a room at the end of the hall, near the front of the house.

Eyeing the room with trepidation, I squared my shoulders and stepped lightly to the door. _To watch and listen, _I told myself. _Please. Try not to say or do anything else terribly stupid. _

This room appeared to be a medium sized study, with bookshelves, several comfortable couches, a large desk in front of a set of beautiful French windows and a stone fireplace set into a side wall. Treize was there, of course, smiling at Wufei. As I watched them, I could immediately see that their relationship was different, although I couldn't quite put my finger on what that difference was. Wufei looked and acted more at ease right now than I had ever seen him. Treize simply looked like a great, satisfied cat, one who had hunted and caught his prey, and was now looking forward to playing with and enjoying it.

_Gaaahhhh. _I shuddered involuntarily as I watched, the tremor rippling across my shoulders and down my arms. Scenes from the dragon's birth flashed across my mind, one after another, each more vivid than the next. Not thoughts I especially wanted to dwell upon, oh, gods, no, not at all ...

As if he heard my musing, Treize's gaze drifted toward the doorway and locked onto mine. "Ah, Wufei - I see you've found our vagabond. Don't stand at the doorway, Sally. Please, come inside."

I blinked, glanced over at Wufei, then back to Treize. His smile was pleasant enough, but I knew he wasn't making a request. Slowly, I walked into the room and stood behind Wufei, still several paces from Treize, keeping what I felt was a prudent distance between us.

"Treize - be serious," Wufei replied, frowning.

"Well, we have an odd situation. Technically, neither of you should be walking around free. And while I know I can trust Wufei not to do anything rash ... well ..." He raised his eyebrow, shrugged, and gave me a meaningful look, allowing his last few words to hang in the air, unanswered. Obviously he felt he couldn't trust me _not_ to do something rash; my presence with Wufei was proof enough of that. A slow, hot flush worked its way across my cheeks as I swallowed and held my tongue, cursing the day I had ever heard Treize's name mentioned, let alone wondered who he was.

"Don't you DARE disrespect her, Treize!"

"Tone, Wufei," Treize replied, his voice mild, "and I'm not. I'm simply pointing out the facts. While I don't want to actually imprison anyone ... well ..." Again, his implacable blue stare bored into me, this time more intense, if possible, than the last time. I couldn't stand it. I had to speak, had to say something to account for myself.

"Treize," I said, stepping forward, "Don't. Please. There's no need. What - what do you want me to do?" I dropped my gaze to the carpet, examining the fibers on the rug by his feet, willing my heart to stop pounding so hard. _Get hold of yourself._

"It's very simple, Sally," he replied, stopping until I looked up at him again. The smile he gave me was friendly enough; I almost trusted him. Without warning, though, something about the expression in his eyes changed and pinned me firmly in place, making it impossible for me to look away. Leaning forward, he tilted his head to one side and regarded me as if seeing me for the first time, his eyebrow raised. "Avoid the impulsive decision to run like an animal being chased. If you can manage that, then you won't be chased." Then the expression in his eyes intensified and changed again, and I felt as if he was chiding me, reprimanding a wayward child. "Didn't you realize that running was the best way to attract a predator?"

My cheeks felt as if they were on fire, my entire face engulfed in flame, and I _still_ couldn't look away. "I - I - didn't think I had much choice, Treize, but - but I understand what you're saying. I'm not running now."

Satisfaction practically radiated from him. Treize nodded and continued, his tone now a little gentler than before, "I have managed to keep your escape relatively quiet. Those who have been looking for your practice discrete silence, so theoretically, you should be able to stay with me without too big of a jolt to the rest of the world."

Wufei was watching us closely, the dragon tense, his head bobbing when either Treize or I spoke.

"Ah ... thank you," I murmured, forcing myself to nod my head a little at Treize. _Polite, polite, be polite. _"So ... this ... means ... that nothing has really changed - at least, my status has not changed - as far as most people are concerned, is that right?"

"Correct," he replied, watching me. A little too coolly, Treize smiled and asked, "Haven't you always accused me of having a - what was it, now? - a gift for manipulating the media, hmm?"

_Gads, we're back to this, are we? He's making me look like a total idiot in front of Wufei again, just like the island. _I swallowed and took a deep breath before I answered. "I wouldn't say ... that I accused you of anything, Treize. But you do have a gift for having the media say whatever it is you want them to say."

"Treize - " Wufei stepped closer to Treize, looking up at him, his eyes large and dark. The dragon, meanwhile, was bobbing about his shoulders, becoming agitated.

Seeing that, Treize relented a little and relaxed; his smile became more genuine and his gaze less laser sharp and incisive. "So does every single leader in every part of the world, Sally. But now - enough of this. What about some breakfast?"

I slowly exhaled, closed my eyes for a moment then looked at Wufei, silently giving thanks for that reprieve. Getting mentally beaten up takes a lot out of a person. "Ah ... well ... yes. Thank you."

"Then follow me, please. Wufei - you too, if you will."

Wufei looked pleased with this turn of events, but he still refused to look at me. Instead, he trotted obediently after Treize, leaving me to trail after them. Sighing, I fell in step and left the room.

* * *

Treize was talking gaily about who knows what as we walked down the stairs to the first floor. It was warm enough that I didn't need any shoes or an extra wrap; I was lucky. Otherwise, I would have shown everyone just how cold I was as they were eating their cereal; and while Treize would have simply been amused, poor Wufei would have died of embarrassment the first time he saw my nipples pushing out of the silk pajama top. 

_Face it. He's not going to leave with you_, my nasty little voice whispered in my head. _He's going to stay with Treize. That's why he's acting so odd; he's already made up his mind, and he just doesn't want to tell you. That means that you're going to stay with Treize just as long as Wufei is! Isn't that fabulous? _

Fabulous. My stomach turned over, and I felt sick. The facts, unfortunately, were speaking for themselves.

The dining room, as was everything else I had seen in the mansion, was decorated in a tastefully understated and elegant style. Crystal glasses, china plates, servants waiting at a discreet distance - all was exactly as I remembered from the island. Fruit platters were already on the table, along with yogurt and several different kinds of bran cereals and muffins, everything in lovely silver serving dishes. It looked and smelled wonderful.

But I didn't care. I didn't feel like eating, didn't want to eat, and didn't want to pretend. Why should I? Deluding myself into believing that 'everything was fine' was _not_ something that I could do. I _knew_ it wasn't true. I couldn't think anything that would possibly compel me to eat breakfast when I didn't _want_ to eat.

Besides, I rationalized, I could watch Wufei and Treize from here, and perhaps I'd get a clue as to why their relationship had changed. Specifically, what Treize had done to Wufei to make him so ... docile. It was terribly odd.

_Right. You just keep thinking that. _

Lingering near the back of the room, I gazed at the spray of fresh cut flowers on the sideboard. Their reds and golds accentuated the perfect decor and complemented the table setting. Something wasn't right, thought - something was missing. After a few moments, I realized that Treize had disappeared. Where, I wondered, could he -

"Oh!"

Without warning, two large, strong hands settled on my shoulders and held me fast; warmth spread from his fingers through the silk of my pajama top. Twisting first to the left, then to the right, I realized there was nothing I could do; I was helpless, caught in Treize's iron grasp.

"Have some breakfast, Sally," Treize said, bending close and murmuring into my ear, his breath tickling my cheek. Goosebumps ran across the back of my neck and down the back of my arms as other sensations pounded along my nerves. "You must eat, whether you wish it or no. Remember, the best way to attract a predator is to run - so _stop running." _

With that, Treize guided - or rather, very steadily _pushed _me - over to the dining table, never taking his hands from my arms, his body very close to mine. My feet automatically moved, unable to do anything else, needing to keep pace with the rest of my body.

I wasn't frantic, but it was close. I'd forgotten what it was like to be handled and manipulated so much by that man. Had I been an antique Moorish carpet, the type Treize had in his home, I would have been frayed and unraveling, I was so upset.

Wufei certainly didn't look happy, either, but he didn't protest. He watched from the other side of the room, the dragon bobbing and weaving around his shoulders. It didn't look happy, either.

As soon as we reached the table, Treize pulled out my chair and politely waited for me to take my seat, one eyebrow raised.

I did so, as fast as I could possibly manage. "Thank you, Treize," I said in a near whisper as I sat down.

"Of course, Sally." His voice was velvet rich, sensual and amused. He kept his hands on my shoulders, and I heard him say above my head, his tone markedly different, "Wufei?"

Wufei marched across the room and slid into the seat next to mine with no comment, expressionless.

_Obviously, HE didn't want to get pushed to the table, now, did he? Feh._

"Shall we begin?"

* * *

Treize sat at the head of the table and served us, smiling and chatting the entire time. 

Blueberries, strawberries, mangos and peaches splashed color over the bananas and creamy vanilla custard on my plate. It looked lovely; and if I had any appetite, probably would have tasted exquisite. Unfortunately, my stomach turned at the mere thought of food. However, I didn't dare _not_ eat - not after Treize's little power demonstration in getting me to the table.

Therefore, since I had to eat, I came up with my own 'language.' If anyone actually heard our conversation, they would simply need to substitute the phrase _like cardboard_ for _wonderful_ in my responses to understand how I truly felt.

"How is your breakfast, Sally?"

"It tastes wonderful, Treize, thank you."

"And the blueberries?"

"Ah, they also taste wonderful."

The rest of the meal went on in the same vein. I was polite and pleasant and spoke when spoken to - otherwise, I kept my mouth closed and my opinions to myself. I had no desire to provoke any kind of reaction from Treize. I felt a presence - an enormous, ferociously large presence, barely restrained, somewhere close to me - that had to be Treize. That conclusion - and the fact that I could actually _feel _it flexing, moving, breathing - was frightening. My stomach gurgled and churned again. _Gaaahhh..._

"Perhaps I should let you two talk."

I looked up from my peaches in total surprise. Treize smiled and nodded at us perfunctorily, as if concluding a business meeting, then rose from the table, turned and walked out of the dining room, closing the double doors softly behind him.

Astonished, my mouth slightly open, I stared at the doorway, waiting for him to reappear.

He didn't. The room reverberated in silence.

_Did he - did he really just do that? Did he really just leave us alone? _Twisting to my left, I found Wufei looking after him with that same bewildered, wide-eyed expression.

_Well, well, well. Surprises all around. Guess Wufei didn't expect him to leave, either. _

Our glances met; Wufei held mine for a moment, before his skittered away and landed on his fruit plate. He stayed mute, inspecting his food, poking at it with his fork.

I sighed. That wasn't a good sign. "Wufei. Have you - have you had time to think about things? Anything?" _Like, can we PLEASE leave here NOW, get out of this lunatic's house NOW - _

He continued to look at his plate and poke at his strawberries while the dragon twisted around him. "I don't know yet, Sally. That's what I'm trying to decide. I'm staying here until I know for sure. You, though - you don't have to stay."

Without thinking, I rolled my eyes in frustration, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him around to face me. He pulled back in shock and surprise; gently, I patted his shoulders, then ran my hands down his arms and ended up squeezing his hands, looking into his eyes, resolute, urgent. _Lives hang on your words, Wufei, yours and mine ... _

"Wufei - no, Wufei, listen, you don't understand, you really don't understand. I _can't_ leave, don't you see? Treize asked me if I would ever leave you again, and I said no, and that means that I will _NEVER _leave you again - never. I _Will. Not. Leave. You._" Each word was punctuated with a squeeze to his hand. "So that means I won't leave here, at least not without you. Gods, Wufei - _please ... _I'll take you wherever you want to go, we'll see whomever you want - all you have to do is tell me _when you want to leave_. Just say you'll come WITH me. Please, Wufei. Please. Come with me

I was begging, practically begging for my life. _Please come with me leave with me give me hope give me strength we can do it together - _

Wufei sighed and reclaimed his hands, at the same time dropping his chin to his collarbone, his hair falling in delicate strands about his face and neck. The silence in the room was punctuated only by his breathing; Wufei had pulled his arms back and folding them protectively across his chest while he considered what I said while the dragon coiled and twisted about him, appearing to be in agony. When at last he lifted his head and spoke, he looked right at me, unflinching, his words heavy, slow and deliberate. His eyes were pools of sorrow. I knew what he was going to say before he said it.

"I don't think so, Sally. I can't. I can't leave. At least ... not yet."

My eyes closed briefly; then I forced them open and looked at Wufei, really looked. I realized at that moment, even if he didn't, that he would never leave. There was no 'maybe we'll leave in a week' or 'perhaps we'll leave in two months.' This was 'we're here for the rest of forever.'

Wufei continued, his voice low. "I know how this must look - and how it must sound. Ungrateful, at the very kindest. But - but when I tell you that I _have_ to be here - " Wufei sighed and looked away from me, unable to keep my gaze any longer. "I don't know. I just know that I have to be here. I have to understand this, Sally, and I don't right now. I can't live with myself if I don't figure it out." His voice dropped in pitch and volume; I had to strain to catch the last few words. They were soft and bitter. "It isn't as if there's anything left for him to take away. My colony's gone."

" ... oh." Air exhaled out of my collapsing lungs and found its way across my vocal chords, whistling past my teeth. Something sucker-punched me in the gut, and I couldn't breathe. I was numb, crushed, defeated, rejected. There was nothing left for me to say or do. I had bared all, begged him to leave, pleaded for my life and his, and he said no. Treize had won, hands down.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 3 

**Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 3 **

* * *

"The general wishes you to know that the exercise courts and pool are now open for your use." 

A soldier pulled open the doors of the dining room and stood in the entrance, bowing to Wufei and ignoring me, his figure silhouetted against the bright blur of the afternoon sun. The green of his uniform meant he was a Special, hand-picked to guard the general and those the general designated. Looking closer, though, showed me something strange, something totally out of kilter with what I expected to see. This 'man' had no aura - not a flicker, not a spark, not even the tiniest hint of color around his body - and that wasn't right.

All humans had auras, I argued with myself. There must be something wrong with my eyes. Humans couldn't suppress them and I couldn't help but see them, thanks to Trowa and the dragon god Seiyruu. I blinked and shook my head. Still nothing. Now a new suspicion was budding, something I didn't want to consider. If there was nothing wrong with my eyes, that meant that -

_- this __man wasn't human. _

Blood rushed away from my face, leaving it tingling and cold. That leaden, familiar knot twisted in my stomach as my mind kept teasing the problem. If he was a Special, hand-picked by Treize, trusted to be close to Wufei - _and_ he wasn't human - then logically neither were any of the Specials in the mansion.

Oh. GODS. The entire _mansion_ was filled with those things. I was the only human here, because theoretically, Wufei wasn't entirely human, either.

_Doesn't it make you wonder if things were ALWAYS like this ...? _

The soldier saluted smartly, a certain smugness in his manner, then turned on his heel and left the room. Immediately, Wufei slipped out of his chair and headed out the door with no word or glance at me. Obviously, he was grateful to escape, and part of me didn't blame him at all; the tension between us now was intolerable. I was left alone with the remnants of breakfast and memories of conversations I'd rather forget. A slow burn simmered in my chest, the pressure making it difficult to breathe, smoldering embers of grief and rage threatening to overwhelm me. I hated being ignored; even more, I hated this gut-wrenching feeling of hopelessness and despair.

_No. I won't - I won't give in to despair. I didn't before, and I won't now. _

I hated that feeling. The last time I felt that powerless and that alone had been the night my parents were killed, over two years ago.

_Push it away, Sally. Push it down. Deal with it some other time. Other things need your full attention. _

Blinking, I drew myself up and took a deep, shaky breath. It was all right to mourn privately, but not publicly. Those non-human things were not going to see _my_ grief - I could be as stoic as the next person. Squaring my shoulders, I thrust my chair away from the table and left, crossing the dining room as rapidly as I could manage. I had no idea where I was going, but I sure as hell wasn't going to sit in that room and brood.

I stepped into the hallway and closed the door, blinking against the light. The latch was cool between my fingers; I didn't let go for a few seconds as I hesitated, thinking. What I needed was a plan, at least for the next hour or so. Maybe I could find some regular clothes. And maybe - just maybe - I could even find some underwear.

_Don't hold your breath, _my inner voice snickered. _This looks like a man's world. No women or humans allowed. _

_Yes, well, fuckall to that. I'm here to stay, or so I was told. I'd better get some serious underwear, and I don't mean lame G-strings. _

Which way to go? It didn't matter. I turned and took one long stride to the left, sighing, then glanced down the corridor and nearly stumbled over my own feet as I stopped in shock.

Treize was standing in front of the window at the end of the hall, watching - and very obviously waiting - for me.

* * *

I stared at him for what felt like an hour, but in reality was probably only several moments. They were seriously long moments, too, uncomfortable moments where I was able to replay every syllable Wufei and I said to each other. Realizing that he saw Wufei practically run out the room and then me drag myself outside the door with no enthusiasm, I was sure that he knew what we had discussed. 

Oh. Excellent. Now I had to deal with him.

I didn't want to. In fact, my preference was to turn and march the opposite direction, something in the 'I'll show _you _what I think of you' vein. My feet, though, refused to budge, keeping me planted in one spot. Fear, too, in the guise of shaking, sweating hands and an unfamiliar lump in my throat made it impossible for me to move.

_Stop it, Sally Po. Stiffen your spine and show him you're not afraid of him. _

Treize stood with his back to the window, calmly waiting for me to approach. Sunlight brightened his hair; he looked perfect, handsome, beautiful. With features that could have been chiseled out of stone and eyes the color of the sea he regarded me, his gaze pensive and reflective.

And he looked patient. Very, very patient, as if he could wait there for the next three days, if need be, until I walked over to him.

_Good. Wait three days. So will I. _

He smiled, shifted his weight and tilted his head to the side. "Henry Kissinger said that even a paranoid has some real enemies, Sally. Does that make you feel better?"

I swallowed. _How - how does he DO that so quickly? _"No, Treize. It - really doesn't," I said, defeated. I gave in and walked over to him slowly.

_My terms_, I thought, sullen. _Mine. At least I'm going to control something. _

Light played across his face, throwing shadows around his eyes, but the closer I came, the more confused I felt. Treize looked wary? - on guard? - as I approached, as if he was trying to make up his mind as to whether to trust me or not.

My eyes narrowed against the light; fear receded and annoyance pushed its way forward. _Oh, please - **he's** making up his mind whether or not to trust **me? He's** wary? That's ridiculous! Which one of us is the immortal one, hmm? _

Treize seemed to catch that thought. He raised one eyebrow as I came up to him in polite inquiry. "So, my dear ... who _were_ you speaking to before you left the island?" Putting one hand on my shoulder, he murmured, "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

I stiffened as Treize smiled pleasantly and turned me toward the garden.

* * *

He steered me across the hallway, then out into a hidden courtyard in back of the house. A well-kept English garden greeted us, with climbing roses and bougainvillea surrounding ivy and box hedges. It was lovely; the aroma of roses drifted across the hedges on the cool breeze, and the flowers bathed everything in bright, gorgeous color. 

"Hai - YA! Ha, ha, HA!" Sound carried outdoors, too; I could hear Wufei shouting at his invisible opponent, practicing in the mansion's dojo.

Plus, it was cold outside. Without thinking, I crossed my arms in front of my chest, rubbing my forearms and shook my head, feeling cross. Why, oh why, did I _always_ end up in pajamas or a nightgown, having these kinds of conversations with this man? Wasn't it enough that he caught me sneaking into his house - his bedroom, no less? Wasn't it enough that Wufei said 'no' to me not ten minutes ago? Did I need to be humiliated, too?

"Sit down, Sally."

Treize pressed lightly on my shoulder, pushing me down onto a small garden stone bench. It was set into an alcove of sorts, surrounded by small evergreens and box hedges. Pine scent, mingled with the aroma of roses, was subtle and calming, as was the sound of water splashing in a nearby fountain. It was ... nice. Soothing. Secluded.

"So. Let's talk," he said lightly, shrugging off his jacket and placing it around my shoulders.

Warmth stole along my arms, into my bones. Ahh, now _that_ felt good ... "Um - right. Okay. Thank you," I replied, blinking, suspicious. "What - what do you want to know?"

"To whom did you speak before you left the island? We both know you had some sort of informative conversation before you ran, Sally. I would have never shown you what I did otherwise - although in retrospect it was rather juvenile of me." Treize's amused blue gaze bored into mine as he waited, his lips quirked in a small half smile. "So, again - to whom did you speak?"

I stared up at him, incredulous. "You want to know ...you want to know _what? _Who spoke to me before I left ...?"

_Deafening explosions rent the air, ripping across the night sky, orange tongues of flame leapt from the ground, and above all the destruction was Treize, bronze wings spread, laughing, knowing I was the only one who could see him ... gaaaaaaaaahhhhhh... _

I swallowed and took a deep breath, glaring. That was _not_ a humorous, entertaining memory, it was a nightmare. I had been petrified, and was still afraid. Treize was treating me like a simpering, whining poodle that wasn't properly trained to heel.

_Juvenile of you? You were LAUGHING at me, because you can kill me like a flea without a thought in your freakish immortal head - _

"Who _spoke_ to me ?" I snapped, louder, feeling suppressed rage swell and burst in my chest. It flooded my veins, my heart, my lungs, then rose into my throat, nearly choking me. I wanted to leap and strangle him, the way my rage was strangling me. "You mean, besides Wufei? There aren't that many people I could speak to about you like that, are there?" _- you incredibly insensitive immortal jerk - _

"I can play this game all day, you know." His tone was light and conversational as he put his arm on the back of the bench and regarded me with more than just friendly interest. "However, if you keep putting it off, we'll have to wait until the next time Wufei is in hearing distance. Do you really want to drag this out?"

My lips tightened; I looked down and didn't answer him. Fear and anger had made me incautious, and I showed him what I thought; that had been stupid. Now my good sense, what little I had left, was telling me to keep my mouth closed before I said something else that got myself killed.

"Come on, Sally," Treize said, his voice gentler. "It's like an immunization shot; unpleasant but necessary. Best to get it out of the way. I could simply go in and take it -" and he ran his thumb across my forehead, gently, " - but I am not a monster. So, if you please - who?"

There was a long moment of silence. He was right, and I knew it. My permission wasn't necessary. If I wanted to keep any shred of dignity, I had to tell him, and I had to tell him voluntarily.

"T - Trowa," I finally said, hating both him and myself, looking at the ground, "I spoke to Trowa."

"Trowa?" Treize sounded mildly impressed. "Trowa spoke to _you_? My, my, my, that _is_ interesting."

I shrugged inside his jacket, still not looking at him, feeling as if I had betrayed a valuable confidence. Or myself.

_Soldiers never give up their information. They die rather than give information to the enemy. You're no soldier, Po. You never were. A deserter, and one who couldn't protect her charge. Useless, totally useless. _

Sounding thoughtful, Treize mused, "'Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice.' I wonder why ... that is so unusual ..." He moved, shifted his position, and I could feel the weight of his gaze on me.

I tried to move away from him on the bench, but there was nowhere to go. His kind of scrutiny - the type where he doesn't just look at your body, but _at_ you, through you - was disturbing.

"There, now. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Oh no, of course not. Especially not if you were into feeling small, withered and humiliated, then everything was just FINE.

"Consider yourself absolutely free as regards to the run of the house. As to walking in town ... well. That is still up in the air, pending your good behavior. All right?"

His hand, with its perfectly manicured nails glistening in the sunshine, was thrust out at me, palm outstretched, waiting for me to clasp it in that damned universal gesture of goodwill. I looked up slowly and stared at his hand.

_He MUST be joking. I'm supposed to shake his HAND after that? No hard feelings, trampling on you was just part of the job, thanks for giving it up so quickly ... _

But making him angry by refusing his hand would have been incredibly foolish. "Thank you, Treize," I muttered, stony, taking and shaking his hand. Stubborn, angry and afraid, I refused to look at him, preferring instead to gaze at the grass.

Then I tried to take my hand backHe wouldn't let go.

I swallowed and tugged harder, discreetly trying to slide my fingers around his.

No go.

I looked up and was shocked to find Treize studying me with an expression that I had only seen once before, as if he was seeing me for the first time. His clear blue gaze was powerful; like his grip, once I was caught, I couldn't look away. _Gaaaaahhh_ ...

_"Sally."_

My heart skipped about two beats. I still couldn't pull away, and he had actually moved _closer_, leaning in. I couldn't say anything, my mouth was too dry; mute, I just stared at him and prayed he'd let me go soon, before -

"I'm _not_ going to eat you. Cannibal demons are only from South America. A few migrated to Africa, but they don't belong there, and most of them have already moved back."

_Did - did he actually say what I thought he said? CANNIBAL demons? How ridiculous is THAT? _I scowled and tried again, unsuccessfully, to yank my hand back. "What? No!" I snapped with some asperity. "I didn't think you were going to _eat_ me. Why would you say that?"

"Ah ... then perhaps you thought I was going to skin you alive and use you in some sort of voodoo ritual?" Treize leaned forward until he was inches away from my face, his gaze boring into mine. "_Sally. Calm. Down."_

"TREIZE!"

_" - I. Will not. Hurt you."_

Treize never looked away and I was caught again, breathing fast, gazing into his blue eyes, mesmerized by his intensity. Another part of my brain was screaming at me, albeit faintly -_ what kind of idiot are you? he's already hurt you, trampled all over you, and now you're allowing this to happen? The prey waiting for the predator to pounce, the deer in front of the headlights -_

"Treize ... I -"

"TREIZE, STOP! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

The sound of his pounding feet and shouting broke the spell. In a rush, Wufei was upon us, intent on dislodging Treize, apparently believing that Treize was going to do to me the same thing that Treize did to him. And from the expression on Wufei's face, the boy didn't think that was healthy for anyone involved.

Treize, though, was in no mood to deal with Wufei's sensitivities. He didn't bother to look around and see where Wufei was - in fact, he didn't bother to act terribly human at all. As Wufei launched himself, Treize simply plucked him out of the air as if he was a child's ball, twisted him about and yanked him against his side in one smooth motion. Wufei's arms were pinioning to his side, held in place by Treize's greater strength.

"Hush, Wufei. Sally and I are having a -"

For one moment Treize looked very surprised, just as he brought Wufei against his side, as if something happened that he never expected. He was still inches away from my face, but the expression in his eyes was complete and utter shock.

" - conversation. So -"

" - the fu... Let me GO!"

"Nice save, Wufei," Treize said, his tone dry, never taking his gaze from mine. "Hush, now. Sally and I are talking." Some of his intensity and focus, though, had evaporated, replaced with an expression I hadn't seen before. It made me pull away from him slightly and breathe a little bit faster; it was happy and thrilled and much too _hungry_, too predatory, for my comfort.

"Treize!" Wufei exclaimed, angry, snarling, struggling to break free. "Let ... _go!_" Unable to twist out of Treize's grasp, the dragon bleated at him, a high-pitched, keening sound, something that did catch his attention.

Fondly, Treize smiled, reached out and stroked the back of the dragon, running his fingers idly across the spots where the creature would one day have large, plate shaped spines. The instant Treize touched the dragon, Wufei jumped, shuddered, then went completely limp, looking dazed.

"Perhaps ... after all ... we should continue this later. All right?" Treize's tone was gentle, caressing, something I never expected to hear when he spoke to me.

"Um ... sure. All right ... "

I realized why his tone had changed. It was patently obvious that Treize had lost all interest in me, as the force of his gaze was now on Wufei. He was doing something strange with his free hand, as well - he moved it about five centimeters above the contours of Wufei's body, as if he was feeling for something. Apparently he found what he was searching for, too, because his pleased, nearly orgasmic expression was definitely not subtle at all.

He stood, pulling a still dazed Wufei with him, then looked down at me.

"Questions?" he asked, raising one eyebrow, slowly petting the dragon. Wufei's knees gave way and he slumped against Treize, looking as if he had been shot with some type of tranq,

"Um ... noooo ..." I felt terribly uncomfortable watching him pet the dragon and seeing Wufei so limp and pliant, only upright because Treize was holding him. It reminded me of the last time I saw Treize touch the dragon and Wufei at the same time, immediately before we left the island:

_Treize reached across him and started to pet the dragon before either one of us could react, before the dragon had the chance to hiss at him again, and he did it while he was looking right at me. Daring me to say something to him, to stop him. _

_"I thought free will was something you valued, Treize -"_

_"Oh, it is," he said, his voice soft and gentle, "but if if that privilege is abused ... whatever are you planning tonight, Sally Po? Nothing of which I would ... disapprove, I trust?" _

_"Of course not!" _

_Treize turned to look at Wufei. Wufei blinked, then dropped his gaze to the floor. I swallowed and glanced at Treize; he was studying Wufei's averted face, apparently coming to a decision._

_"Sally," he murmured._

_"Yes?"_

_"Perhaps," he started gently, "some things need to be stated clearly ... before any action is taken."_

_Faster than my eye could follow, Treize bent down, caught Wufei's chin with one hand and forced a kiss on him, petting the dragon with the other hand. Wufei's spine stiffened when Treize first touched him; but when Treize touched the dragon, Wufei relaxed into the kiss and responded._

_Treize did - something - and quite suddenly the dragon flared, its crimson color filling the room, so bright I couldn't see. As the brightness died down, I saw Wufei, limp against the back of the chair, an expression of ecstasy on his face, obviously forgetting everything and everyone else in the room. _

_"The first thing, Sally, that you must understand ..." Treize spoke softly, nodding his head at Wufei and the dragon. " ... is that this - " and he stroked the dragon again, causing Wufei to shudder, "- is **mine.**" _

And the _way_ he had said it, too, had been burned into my brain so that I'd never forget. 'Mine,' as in 'if you ever touch him, your life is over' type of 'mine,' not casual at all. He didn't appear casual at this point, either. In fact, that piercing, analytical stare was back, watching the smallest move I made.

"Then off you go, my dear." He said it lightly, but it was a pointed rebuke to me to get myself moving, the equivalent of 'go away, little girl, I have work to do.'

"Ah ... yes. Yes, of course, Treize." I stood up quickly and backed away, clutching his jacket around my shoulders. I didn't need to be told twice. My sixth sense had been shrieking at me to get the hell away from him, that it wasn't safe no matter _what_ the man said. The gods above only knew what kept me from tripping over my own feet as I turned to hurry away.

_Don't run away, moron. At least pretend to have a little dignity in front of him. _

Unexpectedly, an enormous, dark _presence_, reminding me of shadowy, cavernous places filled with water burst into my awareness, flooded my senses and brought me to a halt, gasping.

_STOP - THIS IS AN EMERGEN-_

Golden bronze energy immediately responded, sweeping the gloom away in one breath that was mighty and strong and surprisingly gentle. I was still left reeling, but at least it hadn't knocked me off my feet.

_Taru, PLEASE. I do not interrupt your privacy in YOUR home, do I? Then extend me the same courtesy and do not interrupt mine. Thank you. _

The huge, dark presence was pushed out of my awareness in an instant, as if it had never been there.

I almost fell over from shock, realizing that what I had just felt - witnessed? - had been Trowa and Treize "talking," but on a level that was much more powerful than simple conversation. Essentially, Trowa had tried to communicate with me and Treize had intercepted that communiqué. Not only that, he had responded to Trowa, made sure that I heard the entire exchange, then pushed Trowa out and away. Whirling about, I stared after Treize and glimpsed his back as he half carried/half dragged Wufei into the main building.

But why? Why?

_So that you know who's in charge, idiot. It's not Trowa, that's for sure._

But what was the emergency? It didn't make sense. Trowa hadn't spoken to me in weeks. What could be so terribly important that he felt the need to communicate now?

I had to think about this. I also had to put on something warmer, something other than Treize's jacket over silk pajamas. Dipping my arms into the sleeves and pulling the jacket closer to my body, I trudged up to the main building, turning things over in my mind.

Somewhere, in something he told me at some point, there had to be a clue to Trowa's behavior.

* * *

A pair of soft, brushed jersey pants with a long sleeved, baggy top, both in moss green, were lying on top of the bed Wufei and I shared when I arrived back at the room. Alone, I sighed, fingering the clothes, thinking about Trowa, what had happened to me and to Wufei up to this point and what, if anything, I should or could do. 

It was usually true that getting something was better than getting nothing, and quite frankly up to this point I had received absolutely nothing. I had had no luck getting into this house undetected, plus I had had no luck in convincing Wufei to leave. Now, part of me felt completely foolish that I had even considered compromising my own safety and security to try and rescue him; a small part, true, but still, it was there. I started arguing with myself.

"He went back to Treize, after everything that happened. After all we discussed, after everything that Heero and Duo and Quatre and I did for him, after everything that everyone went through for his sake, he went _back_ to Treize? I don't get it, I don't get it at all. He just - just went back to Treize and let him - let him - "

I couldn't finish, not even talking to myself - it was simply too painful to think about. We had all sacrificed for Wufei, each and every one of us. When Quatre learned I was going to search for Wufei, he stared at me for a long moment, then closed his eyes briefly and sighed.

"Good luck, Sally," he finally murmured, giving me a wan smile. It felt like he was saying farewell, as if he would never see me again. I sat on the bed and stared out the window, looking at the garden and all its riotous colors. Perhaps he saw the future when he said that; or, more likely, perhaps he knew more about Wufei and human nature than I did. Whether he understood the reason or not, Quatre intuitively knew he wouldn't see me again, not if I went chasing Wufei. Why? What was it that he saw when he thought about Wufei? Something that he knew from the time when _he_ was Treize's prisoner? or something he knew about Wufei himself? What was it that Quatre told me - something like, if I went chasing Wufei, it would do no good, because -

" - because Wufei was chasing - argh, gods, why didn't Quatre _tell_ me that if he saw it!"

_Would it have mattered? Really? You were drawn to him as surely as metal is to magnets ... _

I threw the bed pillows across the room in frustration, realizing too late that Quatre had seen something in Wufei that I had altogether missed. I felt like a fool. And _I _was the one who had come partway around the world to rescue _him!_ Bet someone had a good laugh at my expense when they heard _that_ one.

"Oh, right, there goes that Po woman. Don't go after her, Abernathy - she's doing us a favor. She's headed right toward the mark, believe it or not."

Vexation and anger flushed through me; damn, damn, _damn! _I stomped into the bathroom, ripped off my pajamas and hurled them against the wall, then viciously twisted the knobs for the shower and waited for the spary to assault my body, resentful, hurt and infuriated.

"Fat lot of good 'understanding' does me. Now I'm _stuck_, damnit, stuck _here, _of all places!

The ultimate insult. Captured by the enemy with no hope of escape, and not only did the the enemy not care if I was there, my intended rescue target didn't even _want_ me there.

_Go away, Sally. I don't want to be rescued. I want to stay here. _

_I can't go away, Wufei. That daemon lover of yours refuses to let me go. Talk to him if you don't want me here. _

Depressed, discouraged, I leaned on the side of the shower and closed my eyes, letting the water beat on me, wondering what on earth could possibly constitute such an emergency to a power like Trowa that he would feel the need to tell such a fuckup like me.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 4**

* * *

I was curled up in a chair, facing a set of windows that overlooked the back garden, an open book in my lap, musing. Mourning. 

_...gods..._

Haunting the second and third floors of the mansion the rest of the day hadn't been difficult. Poking into small libraries, finding music and media rooms and otherwise staying out of Treize's way had been my goal, and by the grace of the gods, I had been able to accomplish it.

When I stumbled into Treize's media room, at first I was surprised; then, realizing no one else was around, I snatched all the remote controls, sank into one of the leather couches and watched as many feeds as humanly possible. It was the first time in weeks that I had been able to see anything about Earth and the colonies; hungrily, I took full advantage, my gaze never leaving the screens.

Several hours later I left the media room, sober and shaken, convinced that even with all my experience I never actually understood people at all. When I reached Wufei's room I let myself in, walked over to the windows and sank into a large leather chair, alternating between dejected and petrified. I dropped my head into my hands and rubbed my temples, wondering how on earth I could have gone through medical school, been in the armed forces, ordered and used actual intelligence and never once reflected on how the public at large operated.

I was such a fool.

_When people thought or talked about crime, it was either very personal - meaning they imagined massive, hulking thugs with their faces covered by tight hoods, enormous guns pointed right at some poor soul's head, waiting for money or something else to be dumped in front of them - or it was impersonal, meaning they imagined huge amounts of graft and corruption that followed most governmental officials like ants to a picnic or flies to a dung heap._

_In my world, both cases were absolutely true. But in the public's mind, crime happened to other people and in other cities; the vidfeeds made that clear. Treize's government was corrupt, of course, just like any other. But the aura of the criminal never clung to Treize or any of his Specials; not only that, when Treize spoke, people listened. Plus, they __believed_ whatever he said without question. 

_Why?_

The answer popped into my mind as soon as I phrased the question:

_Because in their world - in __**my**_ world - Treize was their unquestioned leader. Treize wasn't corrupt, only some of his government officials were. Treize and his Specials were the shining examples of all that was right and just and good with their world. 

How incredibly ironic and not at all amusing. Those same people refused to listen to me, a member of their own species, but they would listen to Treize, someone who wasn't even remotely human.

What had shaken me down to my toes was a world news vid, a retrospective of the past several months. Both Wufei and I had been spotlighted, characterized as criminals - as the massive, hulking thug types - and our faces shown again and again, probably so people wouldn't forget us. That was bad enough, but there was another piece that was twice as disturbing. The newscaster, a smiling, generic type, was in front of this mansion, holding an exclusive interview with Treize:

_"The illustrious General Treize Khushrenada decided to rehabilitate and reform both the notorious gundam pilot Chang Wufei and the infamous guerilla leader, Sally Po. Under his tutelage, he said that he truly believed they could become useful members of society. _

_:cut to a sound bite with the General: 'It will take time and patience, possibly years, but I believe it will be worth it in the end.' _

_Society lauds his brave attempt, and we support him in his effort."_

Horrible. That was just horrible. The gist of it was that the world - MY world - agreed and accepted that report at face value. No one fought, no one argued with it, no one opposed it - so therefore, Guerilla Leader Po was gone, vanished, dead to the world. My voice had been silenced. Everyone had moved on, walked on by.

I mourned for my old life, blinking back tears. Now there was no choice. Now I had to move on, too.

* * *

The back garden was lovely. Its colors and flora, seemingly uncontrolled, were discreetly contained within a barrier. Bitter, I looked at the bougainvillea climbing over the gates to the neighbor's yard and envied its ability to scale the walls without being pulled back inside the perimeter. 

_That's only because over ninety-nine percent of the bush is still IN the garden, Po. When and if you leave, you want to be completely, totally GONE, leaving nothing of yourself behind._

_Right. And I won't be leaving, not without Wufei._

_Then how are you possibly going to make a new life for yourself? Are you going to do it here? Watching Treize with Wufei and seeing them -_

_STOP - _

"Oh, Sally - would you come downstairs, please? Dinner will be served shortly."

Blinking, I snapped my head around in the direction of Treize's voice. His voice, its timbre, broke me out of my reverie. I sighed. "Yes, Treize. I'm coming."

Grimacing, I snapped my book closed and dropped it on the nightstand next to Wufei's bed as I strode, reluctantly, out of the room. At this point my life was so terribly surreal it was almost painful.

* * *

Treize said he wasn't going to hurt me, but I didn't believe him. Why should I? Perhaps he wouldn't attack me physically, but there was plenty he could do otherwise. He had a long way to go to earn my trust. Plainly, whatever plan he had in mind for Wufei was _not_ my business, which is what he told both Trowa and me. 

_Be honest, _I silently admonished myself as I thumped down the stairs to dinner, aggrieved and unhappy. _He basically told Trowa to fuck off and leave him and his alone. Period. _

I hadn't come any closer to unraveling Trowa's mystery message, either, which had me worried. What WAS that emergency Trowa tried to warn me about? And even if I found out what it was, could I really do anything to prevent whatever it was from happening?

"Sally?"

"Yes, yes , Treize, I'm coming." I quickened my step, my thoughts turning caustic and black. _No need to keep the leader of the free world waiting, Po, his arugula might wilt._

* * *

Both Treize and Wufei were in the dining room, waiting. Wufei looked exactly the same as the morning - same clothes, same expression, close to the same posture. The dragon was wrapped around his shoulders, its translucent head laying on one arm, undulating slightly. In fact, it actually looked as if it sighed, blowing a little air out its nostrils, straight down Wufei's sleeve, giving it a metaphysical flap. 

Wufei pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze fixed on his plate. Treize was at the opposite end of the table, setting a serving dish down and humming a little, clearly thrilled with the world in general. Both he and Wufei looked up and saw me at the same time.

"There you are," Wufei said, as if I had left and only recently returned from a long journey. The dragon perked up, its head bobbing around his shoulders. I could have sworn it was smiling.

"Hi, Wufei," I murmured, smiling a little as I slid into the seat next to him. He looked heartened and smiled back. The dragon made a small, questing sound, its head bobbing across my arm. My own stiffness melted away, softened by that gesture of friendship. _Ah, Wufei ... _

"Oh, Sally, hello! Have a seat, please. Would you like some wine? This is a marvelous dry white Bordeaux. I do believe it's one of the very nicest that we have in this collection. Here, let me pour some for you - "

Before I could answer, Treize leaned across Wufei and was pouring wine for me, a spotless white linen draped across his arm as if he was the wine steward. The dragon bobbed back, surprised. I stared at Treize in bewilderment, blinking, as wine sloshed into my glass.

Smiling, Treize finished with a flourish, placed the wine on the table and pet the dragon just once as he withdrew his arm. Immediately, Wufei's eyes unfocused and his head wobbled from side to side, unsteady. He recovered, shook his head slightly and looked at me, perplexed.

Treize, on the other hand, was beaming at Wufei from behind the boy's seat, as if Wufei had just done the most adorable thing he had ever seen. That, plus the sensual, leonine way he moved behind Wufei - grasping the back of his chair just _so_, sizing up Wufei's body and the dragon, his eyes half lidded - told me what kind of night was in store.

Ohgods. This meal was going to be SO weird.

"First, we'll start off with a small fruit salad. Next, we'll have a small bowl of minestra maritata, with small cups of sherbet to cleanse the palate in between. For our main course tonight we'll be served smoked salmon with capers and braised asparagus - which, I have been assured, will be cooked to _perfection - _not overdone, not underdone. Asparagus loses so much when not properly cooked, don't you agree?" Treize's intense, laser like stare cut right into me when he said that, an enormous smile on his lips. I could only nod helplessly and watch as he continued to talk, including both Wufei and I in his diatribe. "At any rate, our chef decided that we should also have a small rice dish along with the fish, which I have left to his discretion. To complete our meal, I have an absolutely exquisite dessert that I want to keep as a surprise. I _do_ hope you like it," Treize enthused, settling into his seat at the head of the table. "But, as I'm sure you already know, the culinary aspect of a meal is not the only impact on the senses. Why, the entire _setting_ is open to interpretation. Simply look at the exquisite china, placed with such care. And the floral centerpiece - not only a feast for your eyes, but the pleasant aroma of the tea roses lend their subtle fragrance to the total dining experience ..."

Treize continued to prattle on and on and on, about the wonderful flowers, the exquisite china, the magnificent crystal. It was all too strange - he NEVER acted like this.

_Why is he babbling? _I stared, smiling weakly and nodding, eventually flicking my gaze around and down, trying not to look too obvious. _Is he on drugs? Is he already drunk? _

He poured a small amount of wine for Wufei, earning a strange, strangled sound from him, then poured a glass for himself.

"Yes, Wufei?" he purred, an incredible, beaming smile never leaving his face, his eyes beautifully blue. "Please don't feel you need to drink the wine, after all. I poured some for you so that you could enjoy the bouquet, not so that you would feel that you had to drink it."

"Um ... okay ..." Wufei stammered. He looked at Treize, then at me, then back at Treize again, and finally down at his plate. He was undone, poor boy, confused, confounded, and as close to shock as someone could be without actually being unconscious.

Servants moved to the table and served the first course. Treize chatted on, talking about the gods knew what, I had no idea - I wasn't paying attention, and I simply prayed he wasn't paying attention to me. I did watch what he did to Wufei, though: touching Wufei's sensitive bare arm with long, lean fingertips, so terribly delicate; establishing eye contact, impossible to break; and saying his name over and over, caressing instead of stressing it. No wonder the boy was befuddled. I was having problems, and I was only watching over my soup.

My evil little voice chimed in. _And there's nothing wrong with a little good, healthy voyeurism, is there, Po? _

I was ready for it this time. _No_, _especially not when I've been 'invited' to the performance, you nasty thing. Now shut up._

It was while the salad was being cleared and the main meal was being served that the sequence of events finally made some sense to me. Treize appeared to be delighted, drunk with happiness, but that only occurred _after_ he and I spoke in the garden. Once he pulled Wufei against him, it looked as though a switch had been thrown. One moment, he was centimeters away from my face, telling me to calm down, and the next - _after_ he held Wufei under his arm - gads, the next moment he puffed out his chest and was the most satisfied demon on the planet.

Hmm.

Frowning a little, I looked down at the table, trying to work this out. That meant that he discovered something about Wufei he didn't know before. What could that be? That had to be why Trowa was so upset - _think, Sally, think. What did Trowa tell you about Wufei? What did he tell you about **anything**?_

Hints of a conversation finally surfaced at the same time the salmon with capers was presented. Smiling my thanks to the server, I stabbed the side of the fish, perfectly done, and picked up a little of the sauce as parts of the conversation came back to me.

_Is there nothing I can do? I cannot stand against Treize for Wufei - I'm not strong enough. And Wufei cannot stand on his own - he doesn't even know what's happening to him._

_No, he does not. According to the written, Treize will have him. You are the balance for Wufei. You protect him._

_Trowa - what? Wufei will ... what? what are you saying? What do you mean?_

_You must do all you can, even after the fact. The written shows ... his building up will strengthen you all._

Bone crushing sadness dropped over me. I looked at Wufei, sleeping soundly in the chair next to me, completely unaware, and felt totally defeated. The fight was already lost. There _was_ no fight anymore - not really -

_No, Sally. If you had lost the fight, I would not be speaking to you. I do not speak to humans. It is normally forbidden, on pain of destruction. You are not even anankha._

_Then ... what are you saying? I don't understand._

_It is not the end._

_Of course it is_. I closed my eyes against the storm that threatened to beat against my eyelids. _Treize is going to have him. You've already said that._

_Yes. And that is not the end._

_...No...? _Tiny, tiny hope flared.

_No._

_But ... why not? And what is anankha?_

_Anankha is the classification for those who have fallen outside the written ... for various reasons. Those who are anankha can be claimed by anyone. Those still in the written follow the written, but those outside it are outside my power. They follow only the Written, and are unpredictable - at least to some extent. _

_So. Because of what you told me before, about Treize - both Treize and Wufei are anankha, and are outside the written - but I am inside, an__d will follow it. Is that correct?_

_Yes. And the actions of anankha can only be surmised by the reactions of those around them, those that follow the written. Such as you._

One phrase reverberated in my head. When Trowa said, "Those who are anankha can be claimed by _anyone_," he wasn't talking about humans - he was talking about _NON-_humans. He meant that _any_ anankha could be claimed by any non-human able to take that being. About the only thing a human could claim, from what I saw, was that they were weaker than non-humans.

I glanced at Wufei, then stabbed again at my fish, breathing faster. Now I thought I understood what that emergency was - Wufei was anankha, and Treize hadn't known I didn't understand why Trowa thought that was an emergency, but now Treize's drastic behavior change could at least be explained.

Wufei looked back at me, his eyes dark and troubled, speaking when spoken to, but otherwise retaining the mien of a confused, overwhelmed young man, one who knew something was happening, but was unsure what it was.

Gads. I so wanted to touch him, to comfort him and help him, but felt that I dare not. Non-humans were unpredictable, Treize doubly so, and I couldn't help Wufei if I was injured, or maimed, or dead, or -

_Poh, no, no, Sally. I want you to touch him. I want you to give him as much of your approval and support as you possibly can. After all, if you don't, then you have no purpose. Isn't that true ... **Guardian**?_

With my fork halfway to my mouth, involuntarily my gaze swept up to meet his and my blood turned to ice. _GUARDIAN? No - purpose - what - ?_

He smiled, never releasing my gaze. I swallowed around the sudden lump in my throat, put my fork down and slowly reached for Wufei's left hand, my own shaking, as the implications of my having no purpose and Treize's casual dropping of the title _Guardian _exploded in my brain.

_Ohgods. Ohgodsohgodsohgodsohgods..._

Treize lit up like a shining star. "And of course, we don't need to resume your studies until you wish, Wufei. Or really, not at all. Although I don't believe you'd be able to stay away from them forever."

" ... Erm ... no. No, I wouldn't - "

Warm, caring, and suddenly soft, Treize leaned closer to Wufei and confided, "Of course not. I know you, Wufei. I want you to be happy."

"I ... happy. Okay ..." Wufei pulled back from Treize, keeping the same distance between them, flustered. He dropped his gaze to his plate for a moment, focusing on his fish, then glanced at me. The look he threw at me was the same as a drowning man reaching for a lifeline; he was so open, so vulnerable, and so grateful I was there it was tragic. The dragon was so rattled that he wrapped around my right hand and up my arm, twining around me like a boa. It felt damned strange to have both Wufei and the dragon twist my hand.

_Hmm. Perhaps you should eat left handed, Sally._

I felt slightly lightheaded as I stared at Treize and realized I had no clue whether he was joking or not. Still shaking, I kept my gaze glued on Treize and picked up my fork with my left hand, then clumsily started pushing food around my plate. Wufei was squeezing the life out of my hand. I realized there was no way I was ever going to be able to stab enough fish to actually be able to assuage my hunger. I figured I'd just die sitting up, if not from shock, then from slow starvation.

Wufei was doing the same thing I was doing, but he was doing it with his dominant hand. Treize noticed it immediately, and pounced. Nicely, but he pounced.

"Now, Wufei, please," he started casually enough, "you didn't eat this morning. Can't I at least encourage you to eat something at this point?"

Wufei glared at him, but it was a look borne of uncertainty and challenge, not fire. "We agreed, Treize. We agreed that you wouldn't tell me what to do until I made up my mind. Well, I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Yes, I know," Treize replied, softly, "and I'm not forcing you to do anything. I don't want to have to force you to do anything ever again. I don't - plan - to ever do that, Wufei. But I do care about you, and you cannot ask me to hide that just for the sake of your own sensibilities."

I was staring at both of them as if they had lost their minds. _What in the hell were they talking about? Wufei's "sensibilities?" What kind of nonsense was THAT? If he doesn't want to eat, then he doesn't want to eat -- _

" - no - no, of ... of course, I can't ask you to do that," Wufei replied, his own voice hardly recognizable, it was so quiet.

I went completely still. This was definitely some kind of weird dance the two of them were doing in front of me, and not for my benefit, either. I didn't like it. I wanted to leave, but couldn't. The dragon was firmly attached to my arm, hand and wrist.

" ... please, Wufei."

"All right." Hunching a little, Wufei started to eat with his free hand, his left hand otherwise occupied.

"Thank you," Treize murmured, grateful. He resumed eating as well, and the expression on his face was tender and devoted. When Wufei looked down at his plate and concentrated on his food, I saw Treize's expression change to one of complete, unadulterated pleasure.

_Gaaaaaaah - _that was it, I did _not_ need to see that. I continued to struggle with my salmon, stabbing a stray caper here and there, sawing away at the asparaguskeeping my gaze firmly fixed on my food. Now I definitely wanted out. Treize's version of warm and fuzzy was not working for me at all. I knew what was behind the mask.

"And Sally ... my offer is open to you, too. Anything you wish to do, within reason. I cannot, unfortunately, give you complete freedom, but I DO want you happy, Sally, truly, I do. The war is behind us - can we not simply ... _leave_ it there?"

So eloquent, so touchingly delivered with a force behind it that gently suborned my will, I lifted my head and found myself drowning in Treize's powerful blue gaze. I had no defense, no shield, nothing and no one that would save me. Nothing came out of my mouth that came close to sounding like intelligent language.

"Um ... I ... uh ..."

"Life is _so_ short, Sally - we must work together, not resist each other - don't you agree?"

That small, innocuous phrase - the "life is _so_ short" one, with the emphasis on the word 'so' - stopped every functioning brain cell I had. I sat and stared at him, eyes wide and jaw dropped, not breathing, not blinking, not daring to move a muscle, having only one thought run through my head for a very long moment:

_He just threatened to kill me. Threatened ... to KILL. ME. _

I don't know why the idea shocked me as much as it did, because it wasn't something that was completely unexpected. After all, that was rather the point of war, wasn't it? One was supposed to kill one's enemies, and at least in theory, the resistance, which was me, was the enemy of the established political party, which was Treize.

Perhaps, though, it was because of my association with Wufei, or perhaps it was because I knew Treize wasn't human and couldn't be killed as a human - I had tried THAT and failed, to my total and utter chagrin. But now the point had been made that _I _could be killed quite easily, and perhaps it would bode well for me to watch my step -

_Hush, Sally, hush. Now you're being silly and dramatic. You're valuable, my dear. Even if you didn't amuse me personally - which you do, by the way - you are very, very, valuable. Not just to me, but to him. Look. _

I stared straight at Treize, not even trying to hide my shock and dismay. _You - we - can - speak like this - ?_

_Yes_, _Sally. Now look at Wufei. This is a critical time of his life. He needs you now more than ever. Have patience, my dear. Your freedom will come again._

As I peered at Wufei, I realized that something was indeed different. His pallor was markedly better, and his expression was a little less lost, a little less angry. The dragon was still wrapped around my hand and arm, its head softly undulating around the fingers of my left hand, leaving a strange, tickling sensation on the back of my wrist. Further examination showed that the dragon, too, had a healthier color - almost a rosy glow - along its back. All that translated to a better, healthier Wufei. With his head down and his chopsticks flashing, Wufei was the picture of a doleful Chinese youth having dinner with his family.

This made little sense to me. Why did that happen? I leaned forward, looking toward Treize, feeling a furrow between my eyes, knowing my face was scrunched, quizzical. He looked back, patient, waiting for the question.

Feh, how annoying. Couldn't he at least have anticipated what I wanted to know? What kind of immortal was he, anyway? _I don't understand, Treize. What happened?_

_Sally. Wufei will be just fine as long as you do as I say. _And the way he said that - gads, he made it seem as if he had the magic formulae, that he knew the moods of the dragon better than the dragon knew it.

Suspicious, distrustful I took a sip of wine before I answered him. _How can you be sure, Treize? How do you know?_

His tone was amused and slightly chiding at the same time. _Sally, my dear, I'll have you know that I've raised hundreds of Seiyruu's children personally with no ill effects. What on earth did Taru tell you? That I tortured them and let them die on a regular basis? _

The way he phrased that made me feel awfully foolish. _Well ... um ... you mean Trowa? No ... no, he didn't tell me anything like that ... _

_Oh, good. From the way you've been acting, I was afraid you thought I was going to EAT him._

_EAT him?_..._no, of course I didn't think you were going to eat him! _Scowling at my plate, I started to push my fish and rice around again, annoyed that Treize would think of something so ridiculous.

_No? Sacrifice him to Satan, perhaps?_ I could feel him chuckle through the mental link between us.

_NO. Why would you say something stupid like THAT? _Glaring over at Treize, I savagely cut my asparagus with the side of my fork, speared it, then ate it.

_Hmm. Maybe you thought I was going to experiment on him, and give him gills? He'd be cute with gills. Unfortunately, I don't believe he'd ever forgive me for that. What do you think?_

"WHAT?" I was so exasperated at him that I forgot to address him mind-to-mind. My fork slipped from my fingers and clattered to my plate, making an awful sound in the sudden glaring silence.

Wufei nearly jumped to the ceiling. "What? What? What's wrong?" He looked around, trying to see what had startled me.

"_Is_ something wrong, Sally?" Treize sounded so puzzled, so concerned, but it was impossible to miss the distinct sparkle in his eyes. "I know the asparagus was a little overdone, but surely it wasn't THAT awful?"

Wufei glowered. "Treize, be serious!"

Flames of color were climbing across my cheeks. How was I supposed to explain what happened?

Treize chuckled a little, and bowed toward Wufei and me. "I am sorry, Sally. Please forgive me. What's wrong, really?" He had achieved just the right tone with his 'I'm-so-concerned-for-your-welfare-Sally' voice that there was nothing I could do. If I didn't say something now, I would look and sound completely absurd.

"Oh ... excuse me ... please," I muttered, staring right at my plate, refusing to look at either one of them. "The ... um ... asparagus ... it was ... hot ..."

Wufei gave me an odd look, then went back to eating, his attention focused on his food.

Treize nodded at me, his eyes glittering. _Why yes, he most certainly is. _

I didn't bother to hide what I felt this time. A swift look up at Treize confirmed that yes, indeed, he did just think that nasty thought. Daggers stabbed at him from my eyes, but had no effect; he was still there, grinning at me. I hated him even more for continuing to live.

"I'm finished. May I go now?" Wufei's tenor broke the silence between us.

Treize gave him a fond smile. "You don't have to ask my permission, Wufei. Feel free to leave any time you wish."

Nodding curtly, Wufei stood up, dropped his napkin on his chair and bolted from the table, saying absolutely nothing to me.

I wanted to leave the table with him and was halfway out of my chair when I realized that I couldn't just LEAVE. My life had been irrevocably changed, and not for the better, by the man sitting to my right. Slowly, I sank back down, swiveled around and faced him. Treize was watching me with a thin, measured, stare, one that I'd seen before, one that made me nervous.

"May I - may I be excused, Treize?" Embarrassed, a slow flush worked its way across my face again; I felt as if I was asking my father for permission to leave the table, something that I hadn't done in years. A large part of me rebelled at asking him for permission to do anything at ALL; on the other hand, my common sense screamed that erring on the side of politeness with Treize was more sensible than making a complete and total ass of myself.

A knowing smile was on his lips, and the atmosphere in the room felt - lighter. "Yes, Sally, you may."

"Thank you, Treize." I smiled perfunctorily and fled, feeling Treize's amused and speculative gaze squarely between my shoulders.

* * *

I found Wufei in his room, thinking - or brooding - I wasn't really sure which he was doing. I only knew that once I was there, Wufei and I spent quite a bit of time hemming and hawing and feeling quite uncomfortable with each other. 

_This will only get worse until you say something. He will not say anything at all, you know that. Very passive resistant, that one. _

Sighing, I shrugged, reaching for something neutral we could discuss. "This - this is a nice room, Wufei. I spent some time here, this afternoon, reading and looking at the garden."

"Thanks." He sounded shy and dry at the same time. "You - um - you already saw the bed, too. Last night. And this morning."

"Right. I did." I smiled, then fell silent for a few moments. During that time, I examined his external vital signs superstitiously."You know, Wufei ... you look better than you did," I offered. "I don't know if you're feeling any better, but ... but... you do look better." I gave him a wan smile.

"I do feel better," Wufei answered, his voice soft. "Coming back ... was a good thing."

The smile drifted away from my face. For him, perhaps; for me, not at all. "That's - that's good," I responded automatically, looking down at my lap. What he said in that phrase - and what I heard - was that he had already made his decision. He wasn't leaving.

" ... I'm sorry."

I glanced at him. The dragon was curled around his shoulders and Wufei's head was down, his shoulders hunched. He appeared sorrowful, guilty.

_Oh, yes, I'm right, I know it. He's staying. _

"I think ... I'll go find my room, Wufei. It must be around here somewhere. Perhaps you could help me." I felt sad, so sad. Part of me had been ripped apart and was bleeding. He was staying here, with Treize, and I couldn't fix it. I couldn't convince him to leave. He didn't want to. I had failed miserably.

"I'm not sure you have one yet. You - you could stay with me ..."

Was he hinting? He looked completely sincere; his small gesture melted the ice around my heart. "Well ... okay ... sure. If you want me to ..."

"Only if you wouldn't mind."

"Wufei. I - I wouldn't mind at all."

I walked over to him and put my hand on his arm, smiling a little. I could tell he was pleased, even though he tried not to look it. The dragon immediately wrapped all the way around and up my arm, bleating in my ear. I smiled a little, and felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off my heart. He DID want me there, after all. That made a huge difference - if he wanted me there, I would stay.

Suddenly, I was bone weary, the type of tiredness that comes from fighting every minute of the day from the time I opened my eyes until that instant. I hadn't let down my guard the entire day; and now, I had no choice. It was a real drawback of being human. I couldn't stop myself from yawning and stretching. My eyes closed and I wobbled right there in front of him, back and forth, very unsteady on my feet.

"Sally!" he exclaimed, worried. "You need to sleep. Do you want the window side, or the door? Anything's find, I don't care." Applying himself, Wufei turned back the covers and sat me down on the bed, taking my shoes off and sending them sailing across the room.

"Oh - oh, it doesn't matter which one - I'm just so tired, Wu, I feel like I've been fighting, fighting all day long -"

"Of course it matters, Sally, it matters to ME. Which side do you like?"

His face was so earnest, his eyes so compelling; I had to choose for him, it was that important. "The window side, Wufei. Give me the window." _I'll protect you from whatever's outside, Wufei. I'm your Guardian. _

We both crawled in bed. He was closest to the door, I was nearest the window. Neither one of us spoke; I fell asleep almost immediately, exhausted.

* * *

_"Daddy, I can move in dreams ... I'll come visit you!" _

_"I know you will, princess -"_

_"I visit other people too, Daddy, lots of people. I see them when I dream."_

I did dream, and in my dream it felt as if I was walking, traveling somewhere in the grayness of sleep. Hazy recollections of visiting other people, other places - visiting Treize, was that possible? - when I was asleep and dreaming tickled the back of my mind. Colors, shapes, swirling patterns of light and laughter, it was all there. I had looked and smiled and danced in my dreams with other beings before -

But not tonight. Tonight there was nothing but grayness, grayness and half light. Something wasn't right. I couldn't GO anywhere. It was as if there was a large, invisible wall around me - it wouldn't let me out, and it wouldn't let anything in. No sound, no light, no color, nothing - it was just blank.

I frowned, looking around. Hmm. I knew I was asleep and dreaming. But I also knew Wufei was asleep. Was he dreaming, or not? Even if he wasn't dreaming, he should be here somewhere, shouldn't -

_bing_

As soon as I thought about Wufei, I was next to him. He was laying on the gray - floor, if that was what it was - with the dragon curled around his shoulders and wrapped around his torso, undulating slightly, dressed in a white tunic and pants, looking peaceful and young.

Relief. _SO_ much relief it was almost painful.

"Ah, Wufei," I whispered, sinking down next to him, "you look _so_ much better than you looked before. I was worried, Wu, really worried."

The baby dragon, its eyes closed, lay across Wufei's shoulders and was curled over and around him, sliding slowly over and around. Wufei had no response other than deep, even breathing. I watched them for a while; watched the dragon flex and move, then held my hand about ten centimeters above them as they slept, undisturbed, appearing flushed and robust, now the picture of health.

Eventually I pushed my legs underneath me and stood, tired. I needed to go back to dreamless sleep myself. I no longer felt the need to guard him, at least here. In his mind's eye, at least, he felt healthy and strong, healed from whatever mystery aliment had nearly broken him.

_...and now he's ready for what?..._

The grayness enveloped me, softness pulling me down, consciousness moving away from that question as a large presence soothed me back to sleep. I swore something chuckled at my question.

* * *

. **  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 5 **

* * *

I whispered, not sure I was really awake. "Wufei?" 

"Mmmf."

Heavy arms and legs were tangled around mine, which meant that Wufei and I had spent another night together. I blinked and open my eyes a tiny, tiny bit. Wufei looked exactly the same as he had in my dream, with the exception of his pajamas, which were not white, and his expression, which was not calm. His eyebrows were scrunched together, angry, as if fighting each other. Still sleepy, I experimented with a little fingertip massage, pushing on pressure points between his eyes, smoothing a furrow and releasing some tension. That did the trick. _Now_ he looked like the Wufei in my dreams, down to the faint smile.

The dragon was wrapped around his shoulders and moving sinuously along his body, a long, undulating, translucent curve. As I watched, still sleepy, it dipped its head into my shoulder. I gasped; the world turned white and I spun out of control, every sense overloaded, sensation overwhelming me. Dizzy, shocked, I watched as the dragon's head, then the rest of its body, suddenly reappeared out of my hip. The little creature yawned, its eyespots closed, showing a large, toothless mouth, flexed its neck, then went back to softly ripple about Wufei. The boy had not so much as stirred.

Pleasantly spent, erotically buzzed and so, so, comfortable, I blinked several times, smiled vaguely at the ceiling, wondered about the little dragon, then helplessly slipped into a relaxed partial doze. Eventually, though, something tickled the back of my brain and poked me out of my half dreams.

_Wake up, Po. Really, wake up and get out of bed. Do it now, before the little guy does that - dive thing - again. The dragon's just a baby, so he doesn't know what he's doing or what it does to YOU. It's great and all, but - ah - it's not a HUMAN thing to do, and Wufei would be horrified if he knew what happened to you... _

Slowly, I shifted Wufei's arms and legs around and over mine. I slid out of bed undetected, feeling rested, tingly and so wonderfully _alive_. Padding off to the bathroom today was easier; I knew where it was and where Treize had stashed all the shower gels and hand towels. Whistling a little under my breath, I stood in the spray of the shower and let the water skim over me, doing my best to focus on the positive aspects of my situation.

_Yes, Po - and they are ...?_

I sighed, bowing my head to feel the massage of the water on my neck. Well, let's see ...Wufei, looked much better and was obviously feeling better, so that was positive for him. I didn't consider Treize in this equation; he won no matter WHAT happened. And I had a new pair of green sweats. So there was at least one positive for Wufei, everything for Treize and sucko for me. Yay.

Bitterness started to creep into my mind and heart. _I don't think I like it here all that much ... _

After I finished my shower and was drying off, I heard an odd scratching sound coming from outside. The door was closed and locked so no one could inadvertently walk in, but people simply knocked if they wanted someone's attention, they didn't claw and scratch. Vigorously toweling my hair dry, I turned toward the door, puzzled.

"Hello? Wufei, is that you? Do you need something?"

The sound stopped for a few moments, then started again, stronger, coupled with a familiar whining. Wiggling back into those lovely moss green sweats, I unlocked the door, baffled. _How on earth could he have gotten here - _

"Jack?" I ventured, calling through the door. The whining stopped immediately, turning to excited yips and small barks.

"JACK!"

I flung open the bathroom door and a small ball of fluff sprang into my arms, almost bowling me over.

"Jack - Jack, what are YOU doing here? I thought I left you with Quatre! Ooooo, Jack, I missed you SO much!"

Jack was the happiest and the most excited puppy I had ever seen. He was squirming and panting and wagging his tail and licking me ALL over, trying to get to every inch of my face, telling me in his way how much he had missed me. He was tiny, but had so much energy and puppy-happiness that it was difficult, if not impossible, to resist him. By the time he was finished, I was laughing so hard it felt as if I was crying.

"Oh, Jack, how did you get here - fly?"

I buried my face in his neck. His fur was incredibly soft and silky, and smelled like sweet hay. I felt so much better, so much more alive with Jack in my arms. He whuffed at me in answer and licked my nose, panting.

"You cute, sweet, wiggly little thing ... have you seen Wufei yet?" I cooed, petting him. "Once you see him, you can leap on him and lick _him_ to death, too, okay? He could really use some of your kind of love."

Jack woofed his approval and continued to pant and squiggle in my arms as I trotted downstairs. It was amazing; it seemed as if in no time at all I was through the foyer, had shunned a half dozen Specials, passed both the dining room and a small library and was standing in an entrance to the kitchen. Peering inside, I saw Wufei seated on one of the high bar stools at the main island, dressed in an ecru linen tunic and pants, leaning on his elbows, watching Treize closely. Treize, for his part, was standing at the end of the island, smiling and sliding a plate of toasted English muffins in front of him, apparently saying something that caught Wufei's curiosity.

_Interesting. Wufei's not mourning anymore. Not if he's choosing to wear something other than white, that is. _

Deep in conversation, neither one noticed us until Jack started whining, squeaking and otherwise drooling over the wonderful smells in the kitchen. The poor puppy acted as if he had never eaten before in his entire short life.

My eyes widened as I tried to keep him in my arms. "Jack - Jack, wait, what are you _doing - _"

"Ah, good morning, Sally! Banana pancakes? Wufei's opted for just English muffins and scrambled eggs, but really, there's much more to choose from than that simple fare - "

It was difficult for me to concentrate on more than a wiggling, squirming Jack. His entire body followed his tail, which was wagging to the cadence of _FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-_

"So? What would you like, my dear? It's your choice, of course - "

_-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-_

A sharp, incisive gaze belied his charming smile. "Saa...you can control him, Sally. Just tell him to be quiet."

I felt desperate. "Jack - Jack, _please, _please - stop, be quiet - "

To my utter amazement, Jack immediately went still in my arms. He cocked his head to the side and looked up, a mischievous expression of doggie innocence in his eyes, as if to say, _Who, me? _

I gave him a stern look. _Oi, Jack - you couldn't have done that BEFORE? _

"Now then, Sally." Treize beamed as if I had just done the most brilliant thing he had ever seen. "Tell me - what would you like for breakfast?"

"Um ... well ... I suppose - the banana pancakes, please ..."

"Of course you would!" Treize's smile practically outshone the sun. "Anything else? Orange juice? Toast? Cantaloupe?"

"Ah ... no ... just syrup and bananas will be fine, thank you ..." Confusion at Treize's odd behavior made my brain fuzzy. Treize was cooking? Where was the kitchen staff?

"Excellent choice! Come have a seat next to Wufei, won't you? Wash your hands first, dear, you've been handling the dog. And do put Jack down, there's a good girl. He'll find plenty of food around here. Look, he already has his own bowl over there, next to the sink, don't you, Jack, old boy?"

Jack huffed a little and walked right over to his food dish, as if he had lived here his entire life.

"Ah ... yes ... okay, Treize ..."

Overwhelmed, confounded, I washed my hands and watched the soap bubbling through my fingers. What the hell..? How could Jack already have a food bowl here when he'd never _been_ here before? And why didn't Wufei look terribly surprised to see him? Plus, how _did_ Jack get here? I was sure I left him with Quatre ...

When I returned to my seat, breakfast was waiting for me. I nudged my pancakes, trying to puzzle it out, making lazy syrup whorls with the bananas.

"Something wrong, Sally?"

I looked up to see Treize's blue eyes fixed right on me with that fathomless, analytical gaze that was so unnerving, the one that saw right through me, down to the soles of my feet. _Eat, stupid, eat. _Swallowing, I answered quickly, "Oh, no, Treize. This looks absolutely wonderful." I stabbed a forkful of bananas and pancakes for effect.

He smiled and nodded, even though I hadn't fully answered his question, then turned his attention to Wufei. I exhaled and started to nibble my breakfast, watching both Treize and Wufei. It was disturbing; the General never missed an opportunity to touch the boy, and while Wufei wasn't reciprocating, he certainly wasn't trying to push him away, either. He looked slightly confused at some of Treize's gestures, but other than that, appeared more than willing to let Treize take the lead.

I sighed and made more syrup patterns. Hmm. I thought that Wufei might have put up some resistance, at least, but I was wrong. From all outward signs, he was ceding control, giving in, surrendering himself to Treize.

And now the General was speaking again. Dispirited, I glanced up from my meal every now and then, just to give him the impression that I was paying attention. Sort of. Speaking when spoken to. Being polite and answering questions. _Talk talk talk, blah blah blah.._

"Now, then. I've cancelled my appointments for the rest of the day, so my time is open, regardless of what you decide to do ..."

With an affectionate smile, Treize pushed a piece of loose hair behind Wufei's ear, then ran his finger around his lobe, playing with him. The boy shivered, looking down. He was simply allowing this to happen, seeing where it would take him, how far the General wanted to or would go.

_Oh, come on, Wufei, how far do you seriously believe that is? _

My pancakes absorbed my complete attention. I did NOT want to see what Treize was doing, nor did I want to see Wufei respond. That triggered strange memories from the island, ways in which Treize had looked at and whispered to Wufei, ways in which he always made sure he was touching him, brushing against him, kneading his shoulders when Wufei allowed it -

Gads, did I really need to be here for this? I _got_ the message, loud and clear. I wasn't _that_ stupid.

___Saaa, what message, Sally? There are no gills in your future - you have my word._

..._wha - what?_

Very, very, slowly, I looked up and over at Treize, scared and suspicious, certain he was having fun at my expense. But this time was different - this time, he was actually teasing me.

_Teasing? You're te-teasing me? _

He was! It certainly looked like it - that grin on his face, the twinkle in his eye - he was having fun, but not in a mean way. At least, I hoped it wasn't; it was my _life_ that was on the line, after all.

Treize gave a small sigh. _Sally ... my dear ... look. _

Reaching behind Wufei, he stroked the top of the dragon's head, running a complex pattern across its forehead with his fingers. Wufei wobbled in his chair; he blinked, stared for a moment at nothing as his neck muscles relaxed and his eyes gently closed. Treize supported him with one shoulder as Wufei slumped into him, his breathing even and regular, all the while giving me an affable smile.

"Now. Do you see this infant dragon?"

My cheeks - in fact, now my entire _face_ - was on fire. Gads, why did he insist on petting the dragon in FRONT of me? I knew it aroused Wufei, and yet, there he went, petting him again. Shivering, I clamped my teeth together and hardened my resolve. _You will not show this man this bothers you, do you hear, Po? You owe Wufei that much. Snap that backbone of yours into a spine and start talking._

I nodded slowly. "Yes ... I - do ..."

"Do you see how much healthier he has become since you've returned?"

Wait. These weren't trick questions ... what was he doing? Again I nodded, puzzled. "Yeeees ..."

"And you realize that his improved health is due to you, of course?"

I gave him an odd look. "I ... well ... no. What do you mean?"

He sighed, sounding a little exasperated. "Sally. You are his _Guardian._" That dry, of-course-you-know-what-_that_-means tone told me there was more than enough information in his uttered four words to tell the dullest child what they should know about my relationship with Wufei.

I tightened my jaw, feeling yet another jab at my self-esteem. I didn't have a clue as to what he meant. _Show no emotion, Po. Nothing. Pretend you're inscrutable._

"Yes, I realize I'm his Guardian. And I'm not protecting him from anything." _How incredibly insensitive of you to point that out for me, Treize. Thank you so VERY much._

"Protecting him?" Now it was Treize's turn to looked puzzled. "What on earth does that have to do with -"

"Ah - excuse me, sir? Sir?" One of the Specials appeared at the entrance to the dining room, properly deferential but obviously waiting for Treize. "The Lady is here...?"

Frowning slightly in annoyance, Treize murmured, "Ah. Would you excuse me for a moment, please, Sally ...?" Carefully placing Wufei back on his chair, Treize rose, nodded to me, pushed back from the table and strode after the soldier, leaving us alone.

I watched him walk out of the room, still smarting. "Of course," I muttered to his retreating back when he was out of earshot, glaring, "you fatuous jerk. Take your time."

Actually, I wanted to get up from the table and walk off in the opposite direction, but I was afraid he'd come after me. If there was one thing I knew about Treize, it was that he took his meals and politeness very seriously. Violating both at the same time - that is, leaving the breakfast table in a huff - would have been terribly boorish and nearly impossible to explain away. And I didn't want to look any more undignified in front of Wufei than I already did

So, grumbling and sullen, I stayed.

* * *

Wufei stayed with me, of course. He was recovering, shaking off his induced daze. Jack and I eyed each other, silent partners in crime about that little peculiarity of life. 

I motioned to Jack; his nails clicked on the tile floor as he padded over and snuffed at my toes. Leaning down, I quietly dropped my plate to the floor. In moments, Jack licked every scrap of food from my dish and was eyeing the table for more. He was silent and discreet, all except for his tail - it waved back and forth fiercely, like a windshield wiper in a rainstorm.

- _FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-FOOD-_

As I bent to retrieve my plate from the floor, I stared into Jack's eyes. I could have sworn he grinned and winked at me.

"Hey, Wufei," I murmured, nudging him a little as I straightened up. "Wake up. You drifted there for a bit."

"Mmph," he said, blinking. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't be concerned. Treize wasn't. It wasn't very long, and besides, we didn't talk about anything important."

"Ah," he replied, clearly relieved that he didn't actually miss any conversation. He picked up his fork again and resumed poking at his food.

Smiling, I said lightly, "And go ahead and eat the rest of your meal. It's rather good. Look. _I_ actually finished everything." I tilted my plate so he could see there was nothing at all on it, proof for him.

Wufei appeared shocked. "You _ate_ everything?"

I shrugged, affecting an innocent air. "Of course. I was hungry."

His immediate response was to scowl. Then he polished off the rest of the food on his plate, eating quickly and delicately. He hated to keep anyone waiting, and even though it wasn't exactly true that he was holding me up, he certainly wasn't going to permit me to finish and not finish himself.

I grinned down at Jack, then watched Wufei. I wasn't above using any little tricks to get Wufei to finish his meals; he ate little enough as it was, as far as I was concerned. Jack, I thought, was going to come in useful in _many_ different ways.

As if reading my mind, Jack huffed a little at my feet, then pranced around, looking adorable.

I smiled, watching him. "Hey, boy - we're going to have to find a place to take you outside, aren't we? I guess ... hmmm..."

Wufei quickly gathered up all the plates, then scooted off his stool and stacked them in the sink, where he immediately started running the water to clean the dishes.

"Want me to help?"

"No thanks. I'll do this - there aren't that many. Didn't you say you wanted to take Jack outside?"

Which, in fact, I had said earlier. But I had to find Treize to gain his permission to use the back garden, because the little guy was going to start digging and doing some other not-so-nice things to his garden. I could tell.

"I do, Wufei, and I need to find Treize to ask him -"

"Fine, fine ..." He sounded distracted as he attacked a pot left on the stove. "Go ahead. I'll be here - see you later."

"Okay." Wufei didn't need to hear the gory details about Jack's bodily functions. "Come on, Jack. Let's go find Treize." Ugh. I couldn't believe I was talking to my _dog_ so cheerfully about that, but ... well. Some things just couldn't be helped.

It wasn't difficult to find him; all I needed to do was follow the sound of the voices, his and someone else's, someone else who had a higher pitched, softer voice. They were in the front sitting room, laughing and talking and sounding as if they were grand old friends having tea together for the first time in years. I peeked around the corner into the room and almost died on the spot.

"Why, Sally Po! Oh, my, my, it is so _good_ to see you, Miss Po! Isn't today just a _wonderful_ day? I think it is simply lovely outside, don't you?"

It was Une.

But she wasn't the Une who had pursued me with raging, homicidal glee across the globe. This was her alter ego, 'Sparkly Une;' this woman actually had sparkles coming from her hair and literally dripped helpless, feminine charm. 'Sparkly Une' was happy just breathing the same air as whomever she was with.

Weak enthusiasm, coupled with a glance at Treize who was obviously expecting me to say something, prodded me into making a proper response. "Lady Une. What - a - what a surprise. Yes ... it is lovely outside, isn't it ... "

Slowly backing out of the room wasn't an option. I still needed to get Treize's permission to take Jack into the garden, and Treize looked too damn amused at this entire situation. _He _wasn't going to rescue me, I could tell. Turning from Une to Treize, I asked, hesitant, "Um ... Treize... I need to take Jack out. May I take him into the garden, or is there another place around here ...?"

"Oh, my ... Ms. Po ... you have a dog ..." Une trailed off, her voice unsure but her face still forced into a smile.

"Well, yes, Lady Une, I _do_ have a dog. His name is Jack." I smiled, showing her a lot of teeth, and wondered. _What the hell is her problem? She's the one who nearly killed Wufei and me, that crazy - _

"Sally." Treize broke into my thoughts, thumping me back into reality. "Of course you may take Jack out into the garden. Don't worry about cleaning up after him." _And you're not being very nice to Une, dear. Dogs scare her in her present state. _

"Thank you, Treize. I'll take him out now. It was good to see you, Lady. Come on, Jack. " I nodded at them, very polite, very well mannered; I couldn't afford not to be. Regarding Treize through lowered lashes before I left, I decided that while he did tell me about Une and her aversion to dogs, he was amused more than anything else. Her face was still pale, but she looked relieved to see us leave.

_...hah. Dogs SCARE her? Life's full of little ironies, isn't it ..._

Jack yipped his agreement, then trotted after me as I left the room, his little tail waving like a flag.

* * *

Jack and I played outside for a while, romping in the garden. The day was beautiful, as Une said; lovely blue sky, perfect temperature, amazing clouds. Jack leaped and twisted for all kinds of sticks I threw, his jaws snapping closed with a frightening crack that echoed off the garden walls. Nothing was too large or too small for him to seek out and bring back to me; from tiny rubber balls to long, bare branches, Jack found them all. 

I half-expected Wufei to come outside and practice, but after forty-five minutes of running around with Jack, I realized that Wufei had found something else to do. Ruefully looking down at my puppy, I knelt down next to him and scratched behind his ears.

"What do you think, old boy, hmmm? Want to go inside for a little while? We can come out again later, okay?"

Jack woofed his approval, then bounced up and licked my nose, giving me his devilish doggie grin.

"Jack!" I laughed, ruffling his fur. "You silly dog, you - let's go!"

Back inside again, we looked around the kitchen. To my great surprise, it was empty. The room echoed with my footsteps - there were no Specials, no staff, no one was around at all. Walking around the center kitchen island to the range side, I looked up at the pots and pans hanging neatly overhead and resisted the urge to grab a long spoon and start clanging them together. Ah, but it was so tempting! My hand practically itched to do it; grabbing a long, wooden spoon next to one of the kitchen microwaves, I climbed onto a chair and took aim, ready to clang everything together until that snarky voice of mine started talking to me again.

_Po_. _Be serious. Just because no one's paying attention to you doesn't mean you need to draw attention to yourself. It's not all about you, silly cow._

That stopped me in mid-swing. _What? Of course it's not all about me! Just shut up, leave me alone. _

_Oh. So making a ruckus here, alone, and having everyone in earshot run and see what's happening ISN'T all about you, hmmm? Do yourself a favor and stop lying. If you want to see what's happening, do what you do best. Go commando and spy. _

I dropped my arms and blinked. Gads. That wicked, snarky little voice was right on the mark. What was I thinking? I looked down to see Jack blinking up at me, the "what's the crazy lady DOING up on the chair?" expression on his puppy face.

"Nothing, Jack. Nothing at all," I muttered, climbing down and putting everything away. "Just having an insane moment. It's over now. Let's go find everyone else."

Leaning down, I grabbed Jack and cuddled him, then put him in my oversized sweatshirt pocket; I had the type that went all the way across the front of my sweatshirt like a pouch, and he snuggled their quite comfortably, like a baby joey, absorbing my body heat.

Padding across the kitchen, I walked through the doorway and realized I wasn't alone at all. The mansion was crawling with all sorts of people - Treize's Specials, other military staff, domestic staff, communications staff, and the like - they were just terribly good at what they did and extremely unobtrusive. As I wandered through the dining room and into the foyer, I looked out the windows and realized that many of the military types were on the perimeter of the mansion, right at the edge of the property. That would explain why I didn't see them when I was in the back garden. Flashes of someone hurrying upstairs caught my attention, but when I was in the foyer and had a good view of the stairs, they were gone. Then I heard Wufei and Treize, their murmured voices coming from the direction of one of the smaller first floor libraries. My hands were inside my sweatshirt pouch, busily scratching Jack as I thought about what I was about to do.

_Here's your chance, Po. Go commando and spy. Find out what's going on between them, how far things have progressed._

Something was happening in the mansion, I could feel it. There was ... something in the air. You would have had to have been dead not to have felt it. A tingling, pulsing _something_ was working its way along my nerves, down my spine, making every touch, every reaction heightened, everything so much - _more_. It was weird, odd, and I felt - off. Not right.

I tred softly over to the library. Neither one gave any indication that they knew I was there as I peered inside.

Wufei was scowling at Treize and seated at a desk, jabbing his index finger at an open book. " ... no! These ideas are patently false and not well thought out. Anyone can see that - "

Treize, however, was reclining on the only divan in the room, long legs resting comfortably, blue eyes glittering and bright. His entire focus was centered on Wufei. "Now, now, Wufei. Phrases such as 'anyone can see' certainly do nothing to further your own case. Be more precise, please."

A rude little snort from the dragon let me know what Wufei thought of Treize's gentle criticism. I bit my lip, grinning. But in his next breath, Wufei's voice completely changed timbre and inflection. Thick and faltering, he mumbled, "Ah ... well. Perhaps thinking about - about it like - like - this - "

Suddenly, shivers ran down my spine and the hairs on my arm stood on end. What the hell was THAT? Neither Treize nor Wufei had said or done anything to the other. They were only discussing a book, they hadn't even TOUCHED each other, they were too far apart.

I looked around. There was nothing to see. That meant ... it was the air itself; it was supercharged, saturated to the point where I felt fevered, then heated, then languid, then ...

_Gads. How - did - did Treize do that? Is - are - they playing ... ? If - that's what's happening - okay, okay, then I'm OUT of here. Spying is officially done, over, FINISHED - _

Very quietly, I backed away from that room, my heart pounding. _Don't take chances - it's your **life**. He's the demon, you're the human. You have one life, and he has ... well, who KNOWS what he has. Just get the hell OUT before he realizes what's up. _

I stole up to the third floor, hoping I'd feel better if I got as far away as possible. Another chair and book beckoned; I curled up with Jack and started to read. Good plan, eh?

Lousy plan. I couldn't concentrate and didn't feel better. In fact, whatever it was started to get worse. Goose bumps burst out on my arms, then my legs, leaving warm, tingling patches in their wake. I felt suddenly heated, then chilled, then ... something I couldn't explain, then something I didn't _want_ to explain.

Time to get moving again. I took Jack outside again, hoping that running around with him would stop some of that. It did, for a little while. Unfortunately, it came back.

Then I exercised outside, running as much as I could in the garden, hoping that exhausting myself would stop the weird feelings. After 30 minutes of non-stop running, I flopped down on the grass, panting. Jack stood over me, concern etched in his little face, and licked my cheeks. I felt marginally better, and the odd waves of whatever-it-was that had been washing over and through me had stopped, thank the gods.

"I'm going to go take a shower, Jack," I managed to pant out to him, ruffling his fur, still flat on my back. "Wanna come upstairs?"

He woofed at me, licked my cheeks one more time, then nosed me to get up. Groaning a little, I rose, then picked him up and tucked him away in my pouch and padded up to my room and the shower.

* * *

I still didn't have any clothing, so I borrowed another pair of men's white pajamas from Wufei's bathroom. On one of my previous forays around the mansion, I found the laundry room, so when I reappeared for dinner, I had stuffed my by now dirty sweat pants and sweatshirt in the washer and was happily getting them clean. At least _I _was happy about that, as I was going to wear them again tomorrow. 

Dinner was an informal affair. A feeling - an intoxicating, heady, exhilarating feeling - was incredibly strong at the table tonight, something I couldn't escape. Treize smiled and served fish and salad and casual conversation, chatting with ease about anything and everything.

I answered, smiling, feeling cheerful, dizzy, and pleasantly disconnected, as if I had spent entirely too much time in the sun that afternoon drinking an inordinate amount of wine. Wufei, too, seemed to feel good, at least he looked that way. He wasn't pouting, he wasn't sulking, he was asking and answering questions, and while he wasn't exactly animated, he was acting quietly mature. Wufei was looking at Treize with an expression that was new for him, something akin to curiosity and - revulsion? No, that wasn't it - his expression was too soft for that. Interest? Notice? Regard?

_What? Regard for Treize? Good grief! Can that be true? _My own feelings were blurred by whatever was happening, but I didn't believe Wufei's were, at least not as much as mine. He, after all, wasn't all human as I was - he was part Seiyruu, part Dragon-child.

Gads. I really, really didn't want to believe that was true, because that meant Wufei was going to tell me he didn't want to leave here at all.

During a lull in the conversation, I happened to glance at my hand, my fingers splayed in my lap. I saw that my own six inch blue corona, the aura around my fingers and up my arm, was edged all in bronze. I blinked a little, wiggled my fingers and thought that I should know what that meant, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember.

Hmm. I'd have to think about it later. I looked up and over at Wufei, thinking that he, of course, didn't have an aura like I did. He had the dragon, and the dragon didn't take on any color except its own. And Treize didn't have an aura at all, but when he wasn't masking his true essence, his color was ... bronze.

That's when I stared at my aura again and started to feel my stomach churn, just a little. Thankfully, dinner didn't last that long after that.

"Shall we adjourn to the library?" Treize, pleasant as ever, indicated the way with a nod of his head and a wave of his hand. Politely, Wufei and I rose, nodded, and walked toward the front of the mansion, across the foyer and into the main library, next to the front sitting room. Tea was normally served there after dinner, and it seemed that we would be sitting and talking there ... again ... until we went to bed ...

I couldn't do it. In truth, I was finding it harder and harder to deal with all the different sensations bombarding my body and my psyche. Escape was my only option, and the only way I could escape was through unconsciousness.

"Ah .. Treize? Wufei? I'm afraid I'm feeling rather tired. I believe I'm going to go to bed early tonight. So, if you'll excuse me, please ...? I'll just see to Jack's needs, and I'll say goodnight now ..."

"Really? Well, then, good night, Sally. Sleep well." Treize smiled and looked right at me.

"Good night, Sally," Wufei said, not looking at me.

"Good night," I said, nodding to both of them, then left them in the library. "Come on, Jack. You can go out before we go to bed. Besides, I need to get my clothes for tomorrow and put them in the dryer. I'll bet they'll be done by the time you're ready to come inside."

* * *

I had always been a light sleeper, so I was immediately aware when Wufei came into the bedroom later that night. At any rate, Jack gave him away. As soon as he stepped close to the door, Jack was right there, teeth bared, growling in his throat, protecting his mistress, just waiting for someone to make the horrible mistake of coming into the room without permission. Wufei was truly fortunate as he HAD permission and Jack knew it. If Wufei hadn't had permission ... well, suffice it to say he wouldn't be around to tell the tale. According to Jack, that is. 

A truly fortunate man, that Chang Wufei. Again, from Jack's point of view.

When Wufei came into the room, I knew he was flustered, upset - it was hard to say how I knew it, but I did. Opening one eye and peering across the room, I saw that he was distracted, to the point where he hardly noticed Jack on the floor, snuffing around his feet. The dragon, too, was a warm, blush-red color, wrapped entirely around his body. He opened and closed the door, hardly making a sound, and undressed by moonlight, depending entirely upon his bodily kinesthetic sense as he moved around the room, sorting though drawers until he found the clothing he wanted. Once he gets what he wants, he strips away and drops his old clothing, hastily dons the new, and flops on his back on the bed, only to stare at the ceiling, his eyes wide. The dragon, too, is still tightly wrapped around him, not making a move anywhere near me.

I sighed. _Oh, Wufei ..._

Rolling over, I gave him a brief, fierce hug, burying my head in his shoulder, then kissed his cheek. He stared at me in wide-eyed horror for a moment.

"Goodnight, Wufei," I whispered, smoothing my hand across his forehead, smiling at him. "Go to sleep." Then I winked at him and rolled back over to go to sleep, closing my eyes. I felt him relax after a few minutes, then heard his deep, even breathing a few moments after that. He was more exhausted than I was if he fell asleep that quickly. On the verge of falling asleep, I thought I felt something familiar wrap around me, and snuggled a little deeper into my pillow.

* * *

When I woke up, the sun was streaming into the room. It was another beautiful, Luxembourg day. I smiled and stretched, because for some unknown reason, I felt wonderful. No aches and pains, no weird little pain in my neck, nothing. It was blissful waking up like this. 

Plus, I was alone. That wasn't right, though - there should be someone else here. I frowning, looking around.

"Wufei - Wufei, where are you?"

Sliding across the bed, I looked around to find him sitting in a chair in front of the window of our room, looking out. Somehow, he looked more - solid? His shoulders looked firmer, his expression more substantial - all in all, he looked more like the youth he should have been years ago. It seemed that he had been up for hours, studying the garden. He looked at me and smiled after a moment; it was deliberate, forced. I could tell he didn't feel like smiling. " ... Sally."

Oh, gods. This was it.

"You've decided to stay." There. That saved him the trouble? the pain? of actually saying the words. My voice was calm, smooth, matter-of-fact. I turned away from him, then started to make the bed, keeping my hands busy, plumping the pillows, pulling up the comforter, brushing out wrinkles. Doing anything but looking at his face. I couldn't do that. That would be too much.

He paused, watching me for a few minutes. " ... yeah. I have. At least ... for the time being."

I shrugged and straightened up, finished. "Well. I knew you would. It's what you wanted." Now there was nothing left to plump or smooth on the bed. Roll a coin on the surface, it would roll off the other side, it was perfectly flat. I snagged my sweats from my end of the bed and a towel from the tall basket and walked past him to the hall door, sighing. "I'm going to shower. I'll see you at breakfast."

"You don't have to stay ..." His voice followed me then trailed off into silence.

My hand was on the doorknob. At that, I froze; slowly, I turned around and stared, unable to keep the full force of hurt incredulity and disbelief from my gaze. _How_ many times did I tell him that Treize said he wouldn't let me go? _How many? _And yet, he still persisted in believing that 'Sally didn't have to stay?' And how many times did I prove my loyalty to him, only to be rebuffed, rejected, thrown over in favor of Treize? And what about the promise I made to Seiyruu, about protecting his last remaining Child? Now how was I supposed to do that, if I couldn't even get him out of the house?

He didn't get it. Not at all. Not even a little bit. He didn't want to remember what happened to him, he didn't want to remember what I said, and it didn't matter what I did. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered at all.

We looked at each other for a long moment. Finally I just shook my head, turned and walked out the door, closing it softly behind me.

* * *

Showering felt good, but putting on the same clothes for three days in a row, even though they were clean, and again with no underwear, acutely reminded me of my place in the grand scheme of things. 

_In the long run, does it actually make a difference what you wear?_

I scrubbed a small oval of steam from the bathroom mirror and peered at my reflection. A dull, aching blue gaze stared back at me.

_No ... it really doesn't matter... but new socks would be nice ..._

The door was open to the bedroom Wufei and I had shared. Wufei was gone, of course. Jack stood in the doorway, prancing and panting, making pleased little yips when he saw me. I shooed Jack back inside the room as I went in search of something else to put on my feet. Soft Chinese slippers, their bright embroidered toes peeking out from under the bed, caught my attention.

"What do you think, Jack?" I murmured as I toed them out and slipped them on. They felt wonderfully comfortable and warm, plus they didn't slip on the floor when I modeled them for Jack. "They're not socks, but they look pretty cool, don't they?"

Jack gave both feet an experimental sniff, grunted, then whuffed and wagged his tail.

"Oh, good. I'm glad you approve. Come on - it's time to go downstairs, you old thing." I opened my arms and Jack leaped up like a little supercharged tennis ball. He was soft and cuddly, had tireless energy and seemed devoted. Padding down the hall toward the stairs, I buried my face in Jack's fur, depressed. The irony of my situation wasn't lost on me. Wufei left me flat, but the dog stayed loyal. And I had known the dog for at least a tenth of the time I had known Wufei.

_Dogs are loyal, Po. People are fickle. _

I walked downstairs with Jack in my arms.

* * *

Jack and I were curled up in one of the large, comfortable chairs in the sitting room next to a street side window. I enjoyed watching people walk by the mansion, on their way to and from whatever dealings drew them to this part of town. Many looked terribly officious and busy; some ambled along the sidewalk as if they were tourists who had all the time in the world. Cars trolled up and down the street, both men and women power walked in charcoal gray suits, turned into their cell phones, buses ran every ten minutes or so, younger men lounged at the outside café on the corner ... the activity was stimulating. I longed to be outside with them. 

"Excuse me..?" I leaned over to one of the Specials on guard near me, smiling.

"Yes?" His reply was gruff and to the point.

"I was wondering ... these windowpanes ...I can see the people on the street - can they see me? Or are they tinted, so that I can see out, but they can't see in?"

He just stared at me with his strange, unblinking, I'm-a-Special-and-you-can't-fool-me look. No sense of humor whatsoever. Ugh.

Undaunted, I kept prodding. "Um .. well? Are they? Are the windowpanes tinted? Maybe they're tinted bulletproof glass, hmm? Or ... how about this - maybe, if someone sees me from the street and decides to shoot me, you're supposed to throw yourself in front of the bullet to save me. Am I right?"

Specials really didn't have expressions, but if they did, I'd call his very close to annoyed. "Ma'am, that's classified information. I'm not authorized to discuss it with you."

Oh, ho, SOMEone has their shorts in a knot. Good, good, good, I shouldn't be the ONLY one around here who was put out. Snorting a little in amusement, I turned back to Jack and said sweetly, "Oh, well, never mind, then. I was just curious, that's all."

"Ah, Sally, there you are! Good morning - it's such a lovely day. "

My head drooped toward Jack and I sighed. _Hide and seek, hide and seek. Congratulations, you found me, aren't you clever._

Good morning , Treize," I said unenthusiastically, not looking up, curling around Jack protectively and petting him a little more. _I spoke to you. Now go away_. _Leave me alone. I hate you. _

"Sally, I do hope you don't mind, but I've taken the liberty of setting up a shopping expedition for you."

He wanted me to look at him; he expected me to look at him. Hell, now I _had_ to look at him. Leaning back, still rubbing Jack, I replied mildly, "Oh, really?" I could pretend interest with the best of them.

Treize looked smug, pleased with himself and the world. He nodded. "Yes, in fact I have. Lady Une is here, and I thought the two of you could go shopping today." He paused for a moment, waiting for me to say something. When I didn't - the shock and horror of having a shopping expedition set up with a vacuous, empty-headed Une was enough to stun me into silence - he continued. "Now, I know that Lady Une is not your favorite person; however, she is ...ah ... harmless at present. AND she has good taste. I believe that you and she will get along famously."

Well, isn't that just like Treize. Kind and considerate, having me lunch with lunatics. I so love shopping with people who are certifiable psychos.

Finally, my jaw unfroze so I could speak. "Oh, I'm sure we will," I replied, my tone bland, giving him the most insincere smile I could muster. "It sounds lovely. May I bring my dog?" _... so he can gnaw through my throat and put me out of my misery ...?_

"Of course you may. The complex is all outdoors."

One more longing look outside, to the freedom of the streets. _Not for you, Po. Those days are gone. _I rose from the chair and untangled my feet, holding Jack close, and kept my gaze averted.

"Well. It sounds as if everything's settled to your satisfaction, Treize. I had better take care of Jack's needs before we leave, hadn't I? He needs to eat, and then he'll need to go outside - won't you, puppy?" My voice sounded high and false, giving everything away, but there was nothing to do about it now. I scratched Jack's head as I adroitly stepped around Treize and headed for the kitchen as quickly as was proper without running. "When does Lady Une want to leave? It makes no difference to me."

"Anytime is fine." I heard his footsteps following me across the foyer and into the kitchen. I moved faster, looking for Jack's food and food dish. Leaning down, I plopped Jack out of my arms and snatched his food dish from the floor in one fluid motion, then made a beeline over to the sink to wash it out.

"Great," I said, expressionless, busying myself with washing and drying the dog's dish. Busy, busy, busy, just keep moving, right out of range. "I'll just feed Jack now and -"

"Sally." Treize came up from behind, spun me by my shoulders and caught my hands, keeping them still in his. His voice was gentle as he continued. "This isn't some sort of punishment. You have no _clothes,_ Sally. You need them. I know how it is to be without your dignity."

I drew back, angry and astonished; he knew _what? _He _allowed_ the situation to continue for _how_ long? three freaking days? and _now_ he's Mr. Sympathetic, saying he knows how I _feel? _

"Is that a fact?" I yanked my hands away, glaring, then poured new food into Jack's bowl and placed it on the floor, trying hard not to shake or scream. _Yeah. Like hell he knows how I feel._

Jack whuffed at me, wagging his tail, then trotted right over to his food and started eating. Stepping back, my arms folded across my chest, I watched Jack eat his puppy chow and ignored Treize, silent and resentful.

_Well, well - your Jack got what he wanted_, my evil little voice noted with acerbic interest. _And look - Wufei got what he wanted, which is why he came here in the first place. Treize got what he wanted when Wufei came back. What about you, Sally Po? Does that mean all you wanted were clean clothes and underwear? Is that why you came to Luxembourg? _

It was mean and cruel and sarcastic, but my inner voice was right again. I was a fool to ever come back here. I had just thrown my life away, and for what? Clean clothes and underwear.

"Yes, it is. I do know, Sally." Treize said, his voice soft. "I won't allow dishonor like that in my house, especially not of people for whom I care a great deal."

The funny thing was, he really seemed to believe what he said. Maybe that's what made him such an effective leader - the fact that he was capable of believing his own lies and deceit. I didn't care anymore. I was beyond all that. The only thing I wanted to do was get out of his house, out of his presence, just OUT of there the quickest way possible.

"Really," I snapped back. "Well. Thanks so_ very_ much for the sentiment, but you're a little late. You've already allowed it for the last three days May I take my dog outside now?" I was standing on the opposite side of the kitchen, next to the garden door. Of course I didn't believe him.

"Yes. Really." Treize walked toward me, watching me carefully. "And yes, you may take Jack outside." _And please don't assume that everything Taru told you was true. He has a tendency to ... equivocate._

"Well ... thank you, Treize ..." Damn! Every time Treize dropped into my head and spoke to me, I felt confused. I blinked, staring up at him, the anger and fire I had for him pushed away, tossed into the background. ..._um ... what? ... who?_

_Trowa, Sally. Trowa's real name is Taru. Didn't he tell you?_

Jack whuffed at me, then at Treize, then at Wufei who had just walked into the room, telling everyone that he had finished his breakfast. His tail, waving behind him like a flag, followed him from as he trotted from person to person and then to the kitchen door, obviously showing everyone what he wanted to do.

Trying to process several things at once, I dangled my hand at my side and called, "Come on, Jack, let's go out ...," feeling puzzled and mystifiedI didn't move from my spot in front of the cabinets, still looking up at Treize. _Well ... no ... he didn't tell me. Taru is his REAL name?_

_Yes, Sally. Taru is his real name. "Trowa Barton" is the name of a young man who died years ago; Taru took his identity._

_But he ... wait. He didn't tell me that - _

Treize raised one eyebrow and snorted softly. _Of course he didn't. Why would he bother? He's a Fate - he's not in it for YOU - _

At that, a Special appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. "Sir? Lady Une is here for you?"

"Yes, thank you," Treize replied, nodding. Turning back to me, he bent down and murmured, "Take your time, Sally. She will wait until I say it's time to go, you know that." Patting my shoulder, he gave me an encouraging smile and walked out of the kitchen.

"Lady Une! It's wonderful to see you - thank you so much for coming ..." His voice trailed away as he moved toward the front of the house.

I sighed and stared after him, still feeling very ... odd. Trowa lied to me? - or, more to the point, just didn't give me all information?

"Rowwowwowwowwww!"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, yes, all RIGHT, all right. Let's go. I did say we'd go out."

"Woof!"

Jack actually bounded into the garden, looking like he was a doggie-on-springs. As he ran around, dug in and around the roses and generally created mayhem, I started thinking - why wouldn't Trowa tell me the truth? And really, who should I believe - Trowa, or Treize, or perhaps neither one? Either one could be telling me half-truths and I wouldn't know the difference.

I really hated this. I felt like I was being used by everyone, and I didn't even know why.

"Time to go in, Jack! Come on, boy, let's go!"

He bounded up immediately, circled me and jumped up once, wriggling and barking.

"Okay, okay, you cute thing, let's go - and you're going to be nice to Lady Une. Got it?" I rubbed his head affectionately. He pushed against my head and licked my nose, agreeing, I hoped.

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

I stood at the entrance of the main sitting room with Jack in my arms, staring back at Wufei, Treize and Lady Une, and sighed. We were _such_ a nice, dysfunctional, non-traditional family. 

"Hello again, Sally Po! It's so good to see you. Isn't it marvelous? Today, we will go shopping together!"

_Good Lord why did he DO this to me... _

"Oh, yes, Lady, I'm looking forward to it. It should be ... such fun." I sank down across from Sparkly herself and gave her a thin, unenthusiastic smile, thinking of what spending a day in her company was going to be like. Death. It was going to be living death. She was a brainless bimbo, and I was stuck with her for the entire DAY. Oh, yay.

Treize glanced at me, raising one eyebrow. Wufei sat back and watched everything, studying our reactions. I kept Jack in my lap, petting and scratching him, thinking we'd probably be out forever if Treize had his way.

_I'm sorry about this, Sally, but it would be inappropriate for me or any man to go with you. This city can be ... oddly old fashioned about such things._

I ignored the Treize-voice-in-my-head. I wasn't talking to him. _He _had engineered this entire situation, and I didn't believe his "I'm-so-sorry" routine for a moment.

"You don't mind if we bring my puppy with us, do you, Lady Une?" I asked, keeping my tone sympathetic and looking at her with large, sad, wounded love-me-love-my-puppy eyes.

Une's eyes widened appreciably. "Oh ... well, of course not, Sally ... if I may c-call you that ..."

"But of _course, _Lady Une." I recognized immediately she was terrified and decided to try and put that fear to rest, if possible. "Please _do_ call me Sally. And Jack's a very sweet dog. Puppy, really, as he's not fully grown at all. He won't bite you. The worst thing he'll do is get you all wet by licking you all over because he's just SO friendly. Right, Jack?"

In response, Jack looked up at me, whined and woofed a little, cocked his ears up and looked completely adorable.

"Ooohh..." Une sat straight up, a smile frozen on her face, her eyes even wider, if possible.

_Saaa, Sally, you're being VERY mean. She can't handle you in this condition. _Treize, however, looked much too amused to stop me.

Rising from my chair, I held Jack in my hands and stood near Une. "Don't worry, Lady," I said earnestly. "I'll keep him with me, away from you. You'll only need to touch him if you wish to, all right?"

"Of course, Sally!" Lady Une nodded, smiling a little, not looking comforted at all.

I blinked at Une, trying to look contrite, sorry that I was scaring the poor woman; we smiled, trying to mutually reassure each other, nodding. Then I shot Wufei a side glance as I dipped my head into Jack's fur - _HAH! - _then it was back to looking at Une and being sorry and earnest and gee we'll work this out ...

Treize was definitely amused, Wufei looked close to being amused, and Une looked petrified. She wasn't reacting well to this type of closeness at all.

_...didn't anyone tell her that it's better to FACE your fears than hide away from them? ... _

"Well, I'm sure you ladies would like to start your shopping expedition," Treize said, standing. Smiling, he walked over to me and said, "Here you go, Sally - let me give you what you'll need for today." He stopped in front of me and started counting out money, slowly and carefully, eyeing Jack.

I noticed that immediately, and tightened my hold on him. _I - I can take Jack, can't I, Treize?_

_Sally - what did I say before?_

_You said - you said yes ... _

He gave me a soft smile, still counting. _Then you don't have to ask again. Don't worry, Sally. Your place is assured. Even if it wasn't - I like you. I'm not going to harm you._

I peeked up at him, unsure.

_It is true that I am not human, but that does not make me your enemy._

"Here we go - oh, wait. I'd best count this again."

What was he doing? I watched him count the same stack of money again, but I wasn't really watching. I was trying, desperately, to figure out what he was trying to do, or trying to lead me to do.

_I - well - no ... I suppose just because you are not human does not make you an enemy. But - but - but Trowa isn't human, either._

_Technically ... neither is Wufei. Not completely, at any rate. Think about it as you go, Sally. And please - try not to upset her unduly. I don't really want to give Une need for further medication. I try to take care of her without restricting her too much. You will rarely see "evil Une" these days. I do believe I'm succeeding in healing her, or at least, making her usable to society. If she DOES go odd, you will tell me, ne? _

Blinking, I looked up at him, feeling confused. _Well ... yes, all right. I will tell you, as you wish. _

_Thank you, Sally. _"There we go. Now, don't worry about how much you spend. If you need more, simply tell Lady Une. She has my card and my authorization, so you should have no problems. And if you do, feel free to call me." He smiled at both of us. "Now, on your way!. Your driver is waiting outside."

As we walked to the front door, Treize handed me a collar and leash for Jack, winking. _Have fun, Sally._

I glared at him, took the leash and collar and snapped the band around Jack's neck. As Lady Une and I walked down the steps to the waiting car, I tossed my head at Treize, thinking, _Hah - have fun, indeed ... he's not fooling ME, not for one second ... _

* * *

Lady Une and I traveled into downtown Luxembourg, to some of the finest stores in which to shop. At one time, Luxembourg had been a small, tiny country, very provincial, flanked on all sides by Belgium, France and Germany. Its size had not changed but its provincial air had definitely changed, especially since Treize chose to make one of his headquarters there. A large military presence and a burgeoning spaceport essentially wiped out any intimate, small town feeling. Now Luxembourg was cosmopolitan and had boutiques and shops to rival Milan and Paris. Lady Une was a surprise as well; not only did she know that, but she proved to be knowledgeable about the latest fashions and trends, and decided that I was to be her next 'project.' 

"Oh, _yes_, Sally, you'll look absolutely _darling_ in some of the new outfits this year!" she enthused. "Your figure is perfect, and your hair - well, my goodness, we'll just unbraid all that glorious hair, and then we'll see - " She immediately reached for my hair, intending, for all I knew, to stick her fingers where they didn't belong and start doing what she just said.

"UnBRAID it?" I squeaked, pulling my head away, nearly forgetting my promise to Treize not to unduly upset Une. Jack growled when he heard me raise my voice and showed all his teeth to Une

That, unfortunately, was a mistake. When she saw Jack, the poor woman leaped back against the seat cushions as if shot and nearly fainted with fright. A far cry from stoic Une, who would have simply taken out her gun and shot Jack between the eyes.

"Jack - Jack, be nice, don't do that!" I scolded, pushing him down on the floor of the car. He whimpered, but was quiet. "And Lady? Lady Une, are you all right?" I fanned her and leaned over. "Please, Lady, Jack meant no harm. I didn't, either. I was just surprised. No one's ... ah ... offered to ... well ... 'play' with my hair for a very long time." I winced a little, looking at her. "If you'd like to do it, you may ..."

At that, she perked up a little. "Really, Miss Po? Sally? You wouldn't mind? Because, actually, I think your hair is quite _lovely_, and should fall around your shoulders, _not _be restricted by those horrid braids you so fancy ..."

I sighed, steeling myself. It was going to be a long, long, day. "Yes, Lady Une. Go ahead ... please."

* * *

_Other things were going to happen when Une and I were shopping, that much I knew. At the very least, I knew that Treize wanted us out of the house so he could be alone with Wufei. I wasn't stupid. All that stuff that had happened the previous day, everything else that I had felt? Of course that had been Treize. My hair doesn't just stand straight up on my arm on its own, and I don't - feel - those kind of feelings without SOME kind of provocation, whether I've seen something, or listened to something, or ... well ... whatever. But I hadn't, and yesterday they had hit me like a freight train and kept coming at me, again and again and again. It didn't take me long to figure out they were generated by Treize and all pointed, very directly, at Wufei. I simply happened to BE there. In the way. _

_And then, today, Wufei told me he had made his decision. He was staying with Treize. And look, today I was going shopping with Une. Coincidence? Some might say so. I didn't think so. Now there was no one to BE in the way, and everything could be extremely private._

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 6 **

* * *

_Other things were going to happen when Une and I were shopping, that much I knew. At the very least, I knew that Treize wanted us out of the house so he could be alone with Wufei. I wasn't stupid. All that stuff that had occurred the previous day, everything else that I had felt? Of course that had been Treize. My hair doesn't just stand straight up on my arm on its own, and I don't - feel - those kind of feelings without SOME kind of provocation, whether I've seen something, or listened to something, or ... well ... whatever. But I hadn't, and yesterday they had hit me like a freight train and kept coming at me, again and again and again. It didn't take me long to figure out they were generated by Treize and all pointed, very directly, at Wufei. I simply happened to BE there. In the way. _

_And then, today, Wufei told me he had made his decision. He was staying with Treize. And look, today I was going shopping with Une. Coincidence? Some might say so. I didn't think so. Now there was no one to BE in the way, and everything could be extremely private. _

* * *

The black limousine pulled away from the mansion carrying Sally and Une, smoothly shifting into traffic. Treize watched it leave, following its progress down the main thoroughfare until it was out of sight. 

With a smug, pleased smile, he turned and casually strolled through the garden back to the mansion, taking his time, enjoying the fragrent aroma of tea roses in bloom. Had he been a cat, he would have been purring with satisfaction, flicking his tail back and forth. Once he arrived at the front of the mansion, Treize scaled the marble staircase with ease and strode across the portico to the front entrance. The Special on duty snapped to attention and opened the wide wooden door, the picture of deference and respect of a subordinate to his commander.

Perfect, as always.

"Thank you, DiMencio."

"My pleasure, sir."

Treize heard the door close quietly behind him as he stood in the foyer for a moment, allowing his eyes to adjust to the mansion's softer light. Then he walked into the downstairs sitting room, back to his current obsession.

Chang Wufei.

Treize practically radiated pleasure. To his mind, Wufei _was_ perfection, but not in the same way as DiMencio. Wufei was 'natural,' while DiMencio was a 'Special,' something formed by the force of Treize's will and the caprice of human nature. DiMencio wasn't human, but had enough human mannerisms to blend in with the population. Even so, any human who spent enough time with him knew he wasn't quite right. He was _too_ perfect - his reflexes were too fast, he was too strong for his build, he was too smart for his age and position, he was too polite and sincere, he never needed anything repeated, and he was never tired. In a phrase, he was just too good to be true. He, and all the Specials, were the epitome of human perfection without the liability of being human.

Wufei's perfection, to Treize's mind, was completely different; his was natural, not forced. Wufei's clan had been touched by Seisyruu, the dragon god. While the surviving members of his clan had been purely human, Wufei himself was only partially human. His entire aspect - his nature, his mien, his body, and most especially his soul - were unique.

Treize watched the translucent baby dragon bobbing around Wufei's shoulders, its small head questing this way and that, showing Wufei's true thoughts. He was a rare treasure, something that Treize never believed he would find again. And now, not only to have a Dragon Child of this purity, but to have this Child's Guardian fall into his lap, and then to discover this Child of Seiryuu was anankhah ...!

It was a treasure beyond belief. Never, not since Seiryuu had been alive, had something of this magnitude occurred. As Treize crossed the room and settled on the opposite end of the sofa, he suppressed a smile. Wufei looked so much like Seiryuu, his expression serious in repose, that at times it hurt. But Wufei's dragon was nothing at all like the adult dragon that surrounded Seiryuu.

_One day, my dragon, you will be as magnificent as Seiryuu ever was. _

"Wufei?"

Wufei turned, his gaze meeting Treize's, calm and unflinching. "Yes?"

It was _such_ a pleasure to be with him. Both Wufei and the dragon looked directly at him, the dragon wrapped around the boy's neck. He was so beautiful ...

Trying to match his mood, Treize studied him for a moment. "What are you thinking?"

For his part, Wufei simply looked at him and did not answer immediately. Finally, he shrugged and glanced away. "Not much."

"Mmmhmm."

There was a short silence. "I'm glad you gave Sally an out," Wufei said suddenly. "I hope - I hope she doesn't come back."

Treize's eyebrows shot up. _Ah, so. _Shifting his position, he moved marginally closer to Wufei, calculating exactly how close he could come without spooking him. Now he knew what to do.

"She will return, you know," he replied, compassionate, subliminally offering comfort.

" ... I know she will," Wufei replied, obviously unhappy, looking down at the carpet.

Treize regarded him silently. Wufei was quiet, avoiding the older man's gaze. Anything was preferable than looking at Treize. Outwardly, Wufei was stoic, emotionless; but the dragon twisting and rolling around his shoulders, troubled and conflicted, gave everything away.

Treize watched, saying nothing. Moments turned into minutes, and still Wufei remained mute. Sounds of people moving through the mansion, walking in and out of the front entrance, murmured voices and good-natured laughter filtered into the sitting room. Sunshine poured through the windows, lighting the fine Persian rug at their feet.

Life went on. Still, Wufei said nothing.

But Treize was a patient man. He had waited millenia for this moment; to his mind, waiting several more minutes for perfection to deliver itself into his hands was not a problem.

Finally Wufei looked up at Treize, his dark gaze steady. The dragon continued to undulate about Wufei's shoulders, a little more frequently than normal, but it was also watching Treize with its unblinking stare.

"Treize. I've - I've decided to stay - "

_Ah, that's my dragon ... _"I see - "

" - for _now_." Wufei broke in quickly, a little too quickly. "No surprise to you, I'm sure, since you know _everything._" He sounded slightly bitter.

"Now, now. First - I am glad you made your decision, and I'm happy that decision was to stay here. Second - and you know this - I'm not omnicient. I never claimed to know everything." Treize gave him a small smile.

Wufei didn't smile in return. " ... it doesn't matter what I do. I'm losing my soul either way."

Leaning against the back of the sofa, Wufei looked up at the ceiling, serious and pensive, supporting his head with his right arm. The dragon wound itself around Wufei and settled the main part of its body behind his head, on the back of the couch. _Yes. Conceding defeat. End it now, because ... because it's the right thing to do. _

"Indeed," Treize murmured, sliding just a little closer and reaching behind Wufei, his arm on the back of the couch. Doing nothing else that could be considered suspect, Treize gently moved his right hand along the contours of the dragon's back. "And why, Wufei, do you think you're losing your soul? I don't believe you've misplaced it. In fact -" and he ran his fingers lightly across the dragon's back again, so that the small creature arched up into his caress, "- I think it's with you now."

A small, delicate shiver worked its way across Wufei's shoulders and down his arms. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, staring at the ceiling. "I - don't know. It just feels like I ... ah ... " He closed his eyes again, this time a little longer, suppressing his reaction, then opened them again. "...it feels like I am. Or ... maybe - maybe I'm losing ... losing my freedom," he mused, stretching his legs. "Assuming I was free before. I'm not ... so sure."

"Hmm. Well, then. That's something entirely different, isn't it?"

"It ... it ... is. Is anyone - truly free?" Wufei murmured, his eyes closed, leaning closer to Treize.

"A good question, Wufei. I would think that all depends upon their perspective ... wouldn't you?" A passionate gleam shone in Treize's eyes. Sinuously, Treize leaned closer to Wufei, claiming the middle of the couch, his long legs mimicking Wufei's posture. The dragon rippled under Treize's hand, his sensitive back flowing against Treize's outstretched fingers.

"Yes ... I ... would." Wufei's voice was lower, softer, smoother, not quite a murmur. He was completely relaxed against the couch, his head thrown back, eyes closed, eyelashes thick and full against flawless caramel skin.

Perfect. Simply perfect. _And now - all **will** be perfect. _

"And it would depend on their situation, as well." Treize's fingers dropped lower, moving in an ancient, intricate pattern, centimeters above the dragon's back. Without any warning small fibers appeared, materializing from the center of the dragon's body, and all surged outward to meet Treize's fingers and palm. Smiling at his handiwork, a predatory gleam in his eye as he watched the newly called cilia waving softly like sheaves of wheat in the wind, he continued to talk quietly to Wufei. "Plus, your attitude determines how you approach your situation, ne?"

"Yes ... but ... Sally doesn't realize ... she's free to go. Or ... or that ..." Wufei's mouth moved for a moment, struggling to form words, then stopped, his original thought apparently gone. Without his volition, his body swayed closer to Treize, his head rolling slightly on his shoulders, his mouth relaxed into a tiny smile. Wufei was the picture of complete and total relaxation, giving into the sensations bombarding his body.

"Mmm ... well. Sally is free in some respects, but she also has responsibilities. Just as anyone else." Stroking the sides of the dragon, Treize gently manipulated more of the strange, gossamer strands, now all over the tiny creature. They all moved and pulsed, completely askew and totally chaotic, each waving in any direction.

_Lovely, _Treize thought, petting and admiring the dragon. Anankhahs were rare, special creatures. All their soul moorings were free, moving in any direction, just waiting for someone to come and claim them, and consequently their soul, as their own.

_As you are mine, dragon. Not long now.. _Slowly, patiently, Treize stroked the strands, manipulating them so that they all pulsed at the same time and they all pointed in the same direction.

Toward home. Toward _him_.

The dragon liked the attention. Happy, content, it butted its translusent nose against Treize's arm, asking for more. More petting. More attention. More ... of everything.

Unable to contain himself, Treize beamed, unmasking his own true essence, flooding the room with bright, bronze light. That small push - whether Wufei acknowledged it or not, knew it or not - was how Wufei truly felt at the moment, and that was just fine with Treize.

After a long pause, Wufei murmured, " ... mmm ... why?"

"Why, Wufei? Why ... what?" Treize's gaze, sharp and incisive, focused on short, willowly strands under the dragon's chin and across his neck, digging behind the place where his wings would grow, the fingers on both hands moving around and around, one on the metaphysical being, the other on physical Wufei.

Rousing himself long enough to respond, Wufei sighed, "Why ... why does Sally ... have responsibilites ... that would keep her here?"

"Because she's your Guardian, Wufei. She's here to make sure that you remain healthy and happy. She loves you, Wufei."

"...um ... she ... can't." The dragon's head moved up and down, showing a little agitation, and Wufei's cheeks were turning pink. He had to do something to relieve that stress. His eyes still tightly closed, he sighed again and turned his face against Treize's chest, reaching for him, shifting his weight slightly to press his body against Treize's length. The dragon, too, thought this was an excellent idea, and undulated around both of them, dipping a little into Treize's broader shoulders.

Treize controlled himself; he wanted to grab Wufei then and there, but without all the dragon's soul moorings correctly oriented, his hard work would all be for nothing. _Patience ... patience. He has already made his choice. Be careful, go slow .. he is already yours ... _

"You really have very little say in the matter, Wufei - it is in her nature. We will discuss this later. At the very least, know this - Sally will do all in her power to insure your happiness and well-being. She is your Guardian."

"She ... shouldn't," Wufei whispered, clearly not analyzing anything Treize said. He was completely curled against Treize's side.

Encouraging both the dragon and Wufei, Treize intensified his petting, making sure that all Wufei's moorings were aligned. Soft, delicate caresses feathered on Wufei's head and neck caused him to curve into Treize even more, stretch for his hand, strain to touch him - _it feels so good, no, don't stop, I want ... I want ... _

"But she hurts ..." The dragon was looking at him with large, soulful eyespots, bobbing up and down, agitated, confused, troubled. He loved Sally, and Sally was wounded, and she was wounded because of him ... that was hard, not right, troubling -

"Yes. She does now, Wufei. But she will heal." _Focus on what you feel now, Wufei, you feel **wonderful** ... and it's right, it's all right ... _

Wufei shuddered, unable to hide his reaction and equally unable to respond to Treize's comment about Sally. Abandoning thought for feeling and sensation, Wufei pulled himself closer to Treize, snuggling in the older man's lap, his head against Treize's chest, adjusting his breathing to Treize's strong, steady heartbeat. With his eyes closed and his breathing faster, Wufei lifted his head back onto Treize's shoulder, instinctively arching his back and pushing himself up, offering his unguarded face and neck to Treize. At the same time, the dragon unwrapped a little from Wufei's shoulder and plunged straight into Treize's chest, coming out of his back and wrapping around his waist to join with Wufei again, creating a secure hold on both of them.

Treize hadn't felt such passion or bliss for millenia.

* * *

As we walked into the department store, I remembered hearing Une blathering about something: 

"Oh, look, Sally! There's the very dress I told you about, the red one with the spaghetti straps! You would look absolutely _darling_ in that dress, it would flatter you so much. Please, let's go see what ..."

I blinked. Une was gone, the store was gone. A strange fog was in front of me, a fog that left me feeling cold and scared and alone, the way I felt when I was five and realized I was the only person around who could hear voices:

_"Treize. I've - I've decided to stay - "_

_"I see - " _

_" - for now. No surprise to you, I'm sure, since you know everything."_

_"Now, now. First - I am glad you made your decision, and I'm happy that decision was to stay here. Second - and you know this - I'm not omnicient. I never claimed to know everything." _

_" ... it doesn't matter what I do. I'm losing my soul either way." _

The fog lifted. Standing next to the dress display was Une, prattling on and on about the red dress and some others she was going to bring into the dressing room, plus how happy she was to be with me, et cetera, et cetera. I blinked at her, rubbing my temple, and smiled with what I hoped looked like some enthusiasm. The right side of my head was throbbing, as if I had taken a glancing blow, and I had no idea what had just happened.

_But you know what you just heard, Po. Wufei just told Treize he was staying. _

"Sally - oh, Sally, Sally, what's wrong? You have fine little lines around your eyes, and your nose looks pinched - are you feeling all right?"

Somehow, something had penetrated Une's dimwitted brain, telling her I was _not_ all right. Feh.

"I - I just - a headache just started, Lady Une, that's all," I admitted. "I hope you don't mind, but - I'd like to get some water. There's a fountain by the perfume counter. If you wouldn't mind ... I'd like to go there first, please. Then we could come back, and ... try on clothes." Yay.

"Oh, yes, yes, of course!" Sparkley was always enthusiastic when it came to the needs of others. "It's this way, I've been here _so_ many times before. Here, let me take your arm ..."

Sighing, I turned and linked arms with her, noting wryly that she kept a careful distance between herself and Jack, who was panting and wriggling on the end of his leash on my other side.

_Apparently, her passion for fashion outweighs her fear of dogs, Po. Everyone has their limits. _

* * *

Une insisted we stop at the fragerence counter after I had my water. 

"We'll just look here first. Really, it won't take long, and there are some perfumes that you simply _must_ try, Sally! They are exquisite, and I'm so excited to see how they'll match your body chemistry. You know, it's true what they say, that perfume actually reacts differently on different people - and that's all because our individual body chemistry is different. Not by much, you understand, but just different enough that ..."

Once she was in mid-ramble, it was impossible to stop her.

"Yes, Lady. Fine. Whatever you'd like me to try." Weary, I dragged myself after her, Jack obediently trotting next to me.

Waiting for the next available sales clerk, Une showed me all the different scents she liked. The aromas, sweet and powerful, mingled together until I thought I was going to get physically ill.

"Please. Lady, really - I don't think - "

"Oh, no, Sally, this is the best fragrence for you! It's very light, very delicate, very much _you._ Miss - Miss, over here, please! Thank you SO much! Could you help my friend and me? There's a fragrence - here, this one, by Aramizano, we'd like to try it -"

The smiling saleswomam pulled a tester from behind the counter and sprayed a small amount on a card, then waved that card under my nose. I nearly gagged, the scent was so strong.

"An excellent choice! Do you know, this fragrance has quite a history - it comes from the rose garden of Bagatelle in France, where they have over 9,000 roses and over 1,000 different varieties. Amazing, ne?"

Absolutely fucking amazing. I blinked and looked down at Jack, feeling lightheaded. Something was wrong. I felt ... odd ... off ... ohgods ... it was happening again, what was HAPPENING to me, I didn't understand this at all:

_Wufei lay curled next to Treize ... no, not Wufei, me ... confusion ... was this Wufei, or was it me? _

_...it was us, both of us, Wufei and me, I saw through Wufei's eyes. Now were were on top of Treize, listening to his heartbeat - oh, so slow, so steady, and his hand was so sure, so sweet, and it felt so, so good ..._

_I was - no, he was ... happy ... that thrilled, quivering expectation every time he touches ... touch again, gods, don't stop, no, don't stop -_

_I/we ache, long to be held, to be caressed ... like this, fully known, fully realized, that's it, just like that, do it again, do it do it do - _

My mind was on fire. I was burning, burning with horror and shame. _Ohgods_ _WUFEI - he CHOSE to ...chose to ... and I'm HERE and they want to ... oh NO NO NO NO - _

" - so a wager was made between the Count d' Artois and his sister-in-law, Marie-Antoinette, to build a castle on the site of a cottage in the bois de Bologne, all in under ten weeks. And do you know, he actually did it? How long do you think it took him?"

I stared at the saleswoman. My eyes got wider and my hands started to shake. _What the - ? _It wasn't - I couldn't - my head was throbbing, throbbing -

"How long? Can you guess?"

Carefully, I scooped Jack off the floor and shoved him into the front pocket of my sweatshirt. Then I leaned across the counter, grabbed the saleswoman by her shirt and bodily hauled her halfway across the counter until my face was centimeters from hers. Boxes thumped to the ground and cologne bottles rolled across the counter, smashing to the floor, glass flying everywhere.

_"HOW THE FUCK SHOULD I KNOW, YOU STUPID BITCH? DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE?" _

The poor saleswoman's feet kicked into the cabinet behind the counter, sending the entire display pitching to the ground with a splintering crash. She screamed and waved her arms, looking like a turtle on her back, sending more bottles crashing to the floor.

"Stop - please - let go, please, let go - it was just a _story _-"

"Miss Po! Miss Po! Sally, please let her go, oh please no don't do this let her go let her go - !"

_It wasn't her. She didn't do this to you, Po. Don't kill the innocent. _Panting and shaking, I released my grip. Throbbing, pulsing pain hit me between the eyes, harsh and relentless. I moaned; the world spun. I was going to be sick, _very_ sick.

Sobbing in relief, the saleswoman collapsed on the counter, heedless of the glass. One of her colleagues darted forward, plucked her off of the collapsed display and hustled her away.

"Sally - Sally, can you hear me? Miss Po?"

Sunk on my knees in the ruined perfume department, miserable, I could only clutch my head and groan, trying not to retch.

* * *

Treize's cellphone was ringing. In fact, it had been vibrating for some time. 

"Mmm?" Wufei was in feedback mode only, responding to Treize, moving into his caresses, eyes closed, the dragon slowly undulating around both of them.

"Shhhh, now." Treize kissed the top of Wufei's head, then threaded his fingers through the boy's fine hair, massaging his scalp, all very non-threatening, very low key. Wufei snuggled on top of him, content. Flipping his cell phone open with his free hand, Treize murmured, "Hello?"

" ... Treize-sama?" Une's voice was hopeful and tremulous at the same time, as if she was trying not to cry.

"Hello, Lady. Are you all right?" Calm and concern radiated from Treize's voice to Une. _Focus - focus, Lady. You can do it. Calm_

"Ah ... I ... I'm all right ..." She stopped, hitching a little.

Treize sighed. "Is Sally all right, Lady?"

The dragon's gentle ripplings stopped when Treize mentioned Sally's name. Wufei's head stirred on his chest, nuzzling. It was so pleasant, so _right_ to feel the warmth spreading through his body, listen to Treize's voice rumble in his chest, feel such marvelous sensations spreading from his head to his toes ... but that name ... _Sally _...

_Shh, dragon, shh. All is well. Peace, now. _

"Sally ... has ... collapsed. I don't know why, I'm so SORRY, Treize-sama! I don't know what happened -"

"Calm, Lady, calm. I'm glad you're all right. Don't apologize. Take your time and tell me what happened."

Une sniffed and took a deep breath. "Well, she's ... she's in the medical staff office now, and is lying down. She - she complained of a headache when we first arrived, but seemed better once she had some water. But after that ... after that, at the perfume counter ... she - " Une stopped, gulped, then said the rest in a rush. "She grabbed the poor saleswoman by the neck and - and _attacked_ her, Treize-sama! She pulled her right over the counter, and screamed these awful things at her, and then ... and then moaned and collapsed right there. And then they took her to the office."

"Lady -"

"I - I did everything I could for her - I _did, _Treize-sama. She's in the dark, and has a cloth on her head - damp, I mean. They think it may be some kind of migraine, and - and ... that's all for now."

"You did extremely well, Lady Une. I couldn't ask for anyone to do anything more. Really, that was a wonderful job." He sighed again as he petted Wufei. Lady Une was such a needy thing; there wasn't anything else to do, except to soothe and encourage her. At least her homicidal tendencies were under control. "I have one other task for you. Would you be able to do that?"

"Oh, yes, Treize-sama, anything! Of course!" Now Une sounded better, more hopeful.

"I'd like you to wait for me, and keep an eye on Sally. I'm going to come and collect both of you, and bring you back. Will you do that for me?"

"But of course, Treize-sama! Of course!" Une's demeanor expanded during the conversation, from frightened and unsure at the beginning to a girlish giddy-happy at the end.

Nodding patiently, Treize listened as Une rattled off the address for him, completely confident that she will be able to please him. "Excellent, Lady Une. Please wait there for me. I can't thank you enough for calling as promptly as you did, and for handling this emergency in such a professional manner."

"Treize-sama, you can count on me! But should we keep Sally here or should we transfer her to -"

"I will see you soon, Lady. In the meanwhile, do what you believe is best. Goodbye."

He closed his cell phone and looked down at Wufei, laying in his lap, looking back at him with his dark, unfathomable gaze. Just at that moment, the dragon decided to do a little more exploring, and plunged deeply into Treize, taking more of itself than it ever did before.

Treize gasped, then shuddered with bliss.

_**Now. It is Time. **_

He reached for Wufei; blindly, Wufei reached back, moving into his embrace.

* * *

I moaned a little and moved my head. _Was I dead? _

The answer flashed through my mind. _Apparently not. I hurt too much. Damn. _

Groaning, I tried to move, but ended up flopping on my back, unable to focus, horribly dizzy. Just moving my head made me dizzy. Gads, how much sense did that make? I was laying _down_, for pity's sake -

- _when a riot of sunburst color and desire coalesced and exploded, knocking me flat, drowning me in Wufei's eagerness and need, passion and rapture. It was his choice to stay with Treize, and now ... now it was his choice to melt into Treize's embrace ... to be loved and wanted, taken. Claimed. _

_And power - there was so much power swirling around me, power that consumed, power that enveloped Wufei, power of the Claim, power that fused and bent and bound Wufei to Treize. _

_So very easily, so very quickly, it was FINISHED with an incandescence impossible to describe. One moment I saw the dragon's body with translucent, gossamer fibers, and the next ... each tip of every fiber glowed bronze, a metallic, shining brilliance. It was branded in my mind, never to be erased - _

Horrible, horrible, it was so awful. Wufei had been taken from me completely, and I couldn't lift a finger. Not to help him, or save him, or reason with him, or -

_- HOME. Perfection. No conflict. Treize was all, everything, alpha and omega. We were one. All of my/our needs, wants, longings, desires could be answered and fulfilled by Treize. _

I screamed, but made no sound. My mind screamed, but it made no difference. Treize was not Home for me, no, not at ALL. I was losing my identity, losing my _self, stop stop this was not happening, not to ME I AM NOT WUFEI LET ME GO GODS I AM SALLY SALLY NO NO NO NO AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH - _

Fortunately, my mind gave way and I blacked out.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 7 **

* * *

I awoke, but I didn't want to. I wanted to die. 

My head hurt abominably. It throbbed, pulsing as if every corpuscle of blood wanted to force its way through one tiny vein at the back of my skull. Groaning, I curled on my side and buried my head in my arms, wishing I would just die and get it over with. Fresh burns scarred my brain. I had been assaulted, blindsided, mocked and duped. By Treize.

_Obsolete now, aren't you? Who needs a Guardian that can't guard, hmm? Treize owns him, body and soul. Wufei went willingly. It's over. Done. Finished. Too bad. You lose. _

This room was dark, but light from the adjacent room spilled into it through a slight crack between partially drawn curtains. I heard people talking, quiet murmured conversations. The words were garbled, not understandable, their voices much too soft.

_Gads, speak up ... speak UP, how am I supposed to know what you're saying if you don't speak up? _

Finally, one voice broke through. "Yes, yes, that's right - Treize-sama told me to wait here for him, that he was coming to collect us. I hope there's nothing permanent wrong, Doctor - do you think that -"

That got my attention. Une - poor, sparkly Une! - said Treize-sama told her to _wait_ here for him, because he was going to collect US?

US? I was supposed to wait here for him, too? After what just happened -?

I inhaled sharply, ignoring the pain in my head, ignoring everything, cutting off the rest of that thought.

_Oh, no, no, NO. There was no way I was waiting for **him** to show up now, not after that. No fucking way in the world._

Jack licked my cheek, whining softly against my ear. Nuzzling his fur, I cuddled him, holding him close, trying to comfort myself. "Right, Jack, buddy?" I panted, blinking, tears sliding down my cheeks one by one. "We're not going to stick around, are we? Not if Wufei doesn't - doesn't -"

I couldn't bring myself to say it, not even to my dog. I cried, then stopped, trying to get my breathing under control. This pain was excruciating - so terrible, so sharp, so piercing I thought I would die. Hoped I would die, but knew I wouldn't.

Death was on my mind. _My_ death. It was a bad sign. I had to get out of there. Now. That instant.

"Who needs a Guardian that's a failure, one that can't even _guard? _No one, _no one_, that's who. We're getting the hell _out_ of here, Jack."

Sniffing, I scanned the darkened room. It was very plain - only a medical bed, a tiny desk and sink and some small tools were in there, nothing else. Two windows topped the desk and bed, and thankfully had their curtains drawn against bright morning sunlight.

Wow. Another way out. Unconventional, but it was better than walking past Sparkly.

Immediately I pulled the drawers from the desk and dumped them upside down on the bed, muffling the sound by pushing a pillow into the drawer before upending it onto the bed. I found several pairs of scissors, a needle-like scalpel, three large paper clips, two pens and five pencils. I stuffed them into my pockets, wrapping the scalpel carefully in a small hand towel. That, plus all of Treize's money, would get Jack and me out of the city for sure.

Like, _now. _Right now.

* * *

"Jack, don't argue with me, just get _IN_ the damn car, okay?" 

I glanced around the parking lot. Good - everyone else was worried about their own business, so no one noticed me. That, plus no pursuit meant the dummy I left in the bed was doing a credible job. At least this car was easy to start - all I needed to do was punch in the starter and slice off the alarm wire. Jack watched all this with an unblinking stare, which was terribly unnerving.

Gads, it was pretty bad when your _dog_ made you feel guilty.

"Look, Jack. He's _fine_. This is the right thing to do. He doesn't need me anymore, Jack. I failed. No one needs a failure like me around. He didn't choose me, anyway, Jack, he chose - "

I couldn't even finish explaining myself to my dog, it hurt so much. Wiping my face with the back of my hand, I shoved the car into gear, backed it out of the parking space and sent it humming out of the parking lot.

"Sorry, Jack," I whispered as he nosed my hand on the gearshift. "I have to drive now. I'll pet you later, when we're out of the city and on the highway." Looking down at him was out of the question. There was too much traffic, and I couldn't be distracted.

We were leaving, and we weren't looking back.

* * *

Driving had been easy; it was my emotions that had been difficult to control. Eventually, though, I was able to calm down to the point where I could breathe easily, without feeling as though I had a five ton weight on my chest. 

Instinct had driven me from the department store, the same instinct for self-preservation that saved me in China time and again when I was fighting Treize's troops, and it was that same instinct that kept me driving as long and as fast as I dared. Eventually, though, I knew I'd have to stop, at least for gas. The car wouldn't get to Paris on my good looks alone.

And my first stop would have to be Paris, I decided, not Berlin. Paris had the better off-world transports, and if I was going to have any chance at all in really getting away from Treize, I needed to go to the colonies. Thank all the gods I had cash; bribes were only good in cash, and I would need plenty of them to get me anywhere near that part of deGaulle.

In fact, the time to stop was now. I signaled, pulled off the highway and stopped at a small petrol station.

As soon as he felt the car decelerate, Jack jumped up and stood at attention, staring at me with huge, liquid eyes, never taking his gaze from me. He had been laying in the passenger seat for the entire drive, quiet, obedient - but now looked as though he wanted to tell me something in the worst way, something terribly important.

I pulled over to the pumps and stopped the car, pushing the gearshift into park and looked at him. "All right, Jack - what is it? You've wanted to tell me something ever since we left. What?"

Steady and unruffled, Jack stared up at me, whuffed, then nosed and pawed the gearshift. _I think we should go back.You haven't failed._

I stared. Ohgods. The _dog_ was talking to me? "Jack. Wait. Jack. You - you're just a dog. Right?"

He yipped and looked adorable. This was getting too weird.

"O-kay. Jack, I - I can't go back. I blew it. I'm hopeless. It didn't just happen once, it happened _twice_. I was supposed to _protect_ him, and what kind of protector was I? I'll tell you what kind - the _idiot_ kind, that's what kind."

Jack whuffed almost violently, as if he was completely disagreeing with me because I had my facts _backwards,_ I was all_ wrong. _

I laughed; it felt harsh, like a bark. "Right. Well, you go on and think that. You're cute, Jack." I sighed and rubbed his head, then transferred my hand to the gearshift. Jack nosed my hand, looking as if he wanted to encourage me to put the car in gear and drive back.

Obviously, I wasn't going to do that. We were going to Paris, and then to the colonies.

Then Jack started to whimper and yip; nervous little yips, too, prancing about on the passenger seat, sitting down then standing up then sitting down again. Poor little guy looked frazzled, as if he didn't know WHAT to do - get out of the car and start running or stay in and bark and bark.

"Okay - okay, Jack. You stay and guard the car right now, I won't be long. After I get gas for the car, we'll get rid of yours, all right?" I made a wry face at my own bad joke and pushed open the driver's side door with my foot, leaving the keys in the ignition with the engine running.

I started to get out of the bucket seat, yanking myself up and out on the window ledge, when I realized there was some man leaning on the front bonnet of the car, all in black, his face averted, broad shoulders turned away from me.

_What the hell is THIS? _I was all shades of annoyed when I realized that guy was just _leaning _on my - well, my _borrowed_ - car.

"Hey - hey! What're you doing, leaning on ... leaning on ... on ... oh.. oooohhhhOHOH ..."

If it wasn't for the car door, I would have fallen flat on my face. The man turned around. His arms were crossed in front of his chest and he was, indeed, leaning negligently against the car, looking down with an unsmiling ice blue gaze that froze me to the bottom of my soul.

It was Treize.

"Actually, Sally, I believe Jack was trying to tell you that you're making a rather large mistake. Ah, well. I suppose Lassie and her ilk were never actually your favorite programs to watch when you were growing up, ne?"

I could only gape and stare in helpless astonishment and unmitigated horror. My brain, for all intents and purposes, had shut down, except for the silent screaming -

_- AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH - _

Finally Treize took one step toward me, reached inside the car and turned it off with a flick of his wrist, passing close enough that I could smell both his cologne and that slight, spicy smell that was uniquely him. When he straightened up, he was much, much closer to me, close enough that I was totally aware of his complete physical presence; how much taller, and broad shouldered, and stronger he was than I. It just radiated from him in waves, so much that I could hardly look at him.

He crossed his arms in front of him again and leaned on the car, raising one eyebrow, studying me. "So. Where are you going today, Sally Po?"

I couldn't speak. Swallowing, I glanced over at Jack, who gave me his "I-tried-to-TELL-you-he-was-out-there" face, then took a couple of steps toward me, whining in his throat. When I looked back up at Treize, I could only whisper, "I ... I ... Paris."

_Gods, Po, you actually did everything RIGHT, it was a textbook escape, by rights you should be GONE. What the hell happened? _

He sighed. "Get in the car, Sally. Passenger's side. You hold Jack. I'll drive home."

At least now I had something concrete, something tangible I could do. Nodding, I made sure that I unwrapped my fingers from the door, carefully moved away from the car, checked to make sure it was not locked, closed it and walked around to the other side.

_Keep walking! Keep walking! _screamed my irrational brain. _Maybe he'll just drive away with Jack -_

_And maybe I'll sprout wings so I can fly home. Shut the fuck UP. I have to think._

Treize. Please. May I - may I take Jack - over there?" I pointed to a small, grassy plot with a tree. He looked at me for a moment, then nodded.

Slowly, I opened the passenger door and picked up Jack. "Do you need to walk around a little bit, puppy?" I ruffled his fur and forced myself to breathe slowly. "Here. Let's go over here to the grass, and then we'll go right back to the car. Okay?"

Which is exactly what I did. I took Jack over to the grassy plot with the tree and a picnic bench, waited for him, and then brought him back to the car. It gave me a little time to calm down and stop that damn screaming in my head. Thinking, though, was out of the question. I couldn't think, at least not yet. The question of how Treize actually found me and was going to have to stay unanswered for a while.

I climbed into the passenger's side and settled Jack on my lap, staring straight ahead, terrified. After a few minutes, Treize opened the driver's side, then folded himself into the car. He had been chatting with the owner, filling the tank, and even had the oil checked.

Wasn't that nice? He treated the car as if it was his own ...

I looked out the window and shifted uncomfortably. Of course, this car _wasn't_ his, nor was it mine. Treize could certainly afford to buy hundreds of these cars ... but somehow, I didn't think we were going to discuss his finances on the ride home.

Treize waved his hand at the ignition; the car started immediately, the engine purring like a well fed Siamese. I blanched.

We pulled out of the service station onto the highway, going back to Luxembourg.

We drove in silence. Treize said nothing, and I certainly wasn't volunteering anything. I felt like a small little ball, stuffed on one side of the car with my dog. Jack was whimpering and trying to burrow under my shirt. I scratched his head, hoping he would settle down, and tried to calm down myself.

Gods, was I in trouble. Not only had I run, which was probably bad enough, but I made a fool out of Une and I stole a really nice car in the process. Plus, he didn't send his Specials after me.

Oh, no, no, no. Not this time. He came after me _himself_.

That scared me more than anything else. I swallowed and rubbed Jack a little more, trying to find some comfort. Jack, that wonderful puppy, nuzzled right into my hand, whimpered a little bit, and snuggled into my lap. I thought perhaps he was trying to tell me that everything was going to be all right.

_Well, Po, just think; how could the situation get any worse? He hasn't killed you yet, true ... _

No, that would be too easy. I spent long minutes imagining how someone with his power could make a mortal like me suffer.

_Great, Po. That's a great way to calm down. _

* * *

After some time, Treize decided to speak. "So. Sally. I want you to tell me two things. Please do not lie to me. I'm not in the mood to handle that. Is that clear?" 

I didn't turn my head. Just my eye, looking at him sideways. Wall-eyed, that's what trainers called horses that looked at people like that. Those horses were usually the nervous type, born that way or badly spooked early in life by something or another.

'Spooked' could certainly apply to me. I couldn't even bring my voice above a whisper. "Yes, Treize. That's - that's very clear. I understand."

"Good. First of all, I want you to tell me what Taru told you your role was supposed to be."

I blinked a little, kept a steady rhythm scratching Jack, and found my voice. "Well ... I - Wufei's protector. You know that. You called me his Guardian. A Guardian's a protector." _Don't squeeze Jack you'll kill him gods your hands are shaking keep rubbing him .._.

Treize glanced at me, then directed his gaze back to the road. "Mmmm. Well. The problem is simple, Sally. Your definition of a Guardian and my definition of a Guardian are vastly, dangerously different. I believe the reason for this might be because Taru decided to pump your head full of nonsense. You, of course, believe him because you like him. However, I need to know exactly what nonsense he did tell you, so that we can correct the problem."

It sounded so sensible, so matter-of-fact; but then, everything he said always did. I swallowed, feeling terribly exposed. "Do - do you mean you want me to tell you everything he told me? _Everything?"_

He sighed. "No, no, cancel that. Perhaps I should tell you, instead, what your purpose truly is."

"Sure. Okay," I agreed with a little shrug. _Tell away, _I thought, brittle, keeping myself tightly drawn together. _I'm ready. You can't hurt me any more than you already have. I'm not saying word one to you. _

"A 'Guardian' does not, regardless of what you have been told, exist to protect his or her charge. A Guardian exists, instead, to lend a level of stability and sanity to a situation which would otherwise have none. In essence, you are here to guard Wufei from himself - not from me."

Immediately suspicious, I frowned and looked at him, not understanding. "What? No, that's not right. That's not what Trowa said. Trowa said -"

"Your presence soothes him. Calms him. Heals him. You saw the condition of the dragon when you arrived - that was because he'd been away from you for days. And upon your appearance - well, _you_ saw the difference yourself. He healed in practically hours. Think about it, Sally. "

I stared at the gearshift, remembering. Treize was silent for several minutes, giving me time to process.

Suddenly, it dawned on me; I looked out the window in consternation, realizing that in all probability, Treize was _right_. Bewildered, I snuggled Jack, rubbing the sensitive spots around his ears, and waited for Treize to continue. _It doesn't matter - it's a trick. He's trying to trick you - _

"You were, in that case, doing exactly what your own purpose states. Nothing about what has just happened has caused you to fail; in fact, it has nothing to do with your mission at all." He pursed his lips together, thinking. "I believe I am going to ask Taru to come tonight. We need to clear this up." The tenor of his voice sounded distinctly unhappy.

I felt like something stressed far past its breaking point but unable to release. "Ah ... well," I ventured, still scratching Jack, feeling forlorn. "But ... but why - why would he lie to me?"

"Because he is afraid of me," Treize answered. "Fates don't follow the same rules we do, Sally. They don't even think like we do. They don't think like any other beings in the universe."

Gads. Trowa _used_ me. I was a tool to him, just a tool, just like I was to Treize. I closed my eyes and let that sink in. I had been wrong, oh so wrong. Something else could hurt me, wound me, open those wounds and slash deeper and deeper.

"...oh. I ... see. " _Swallow back you pain, Po. Don't show him anything you don't have to. You're just a tool to him, too._

We drove in silence for a few minutes. "I take by your reaction to the day's events that you know what 'anankha' means," Treize started again, his voice quiet.

"I ...yes. I do." I kept my eyes down, focused on Jack. Short answers were really the best.

"Then you know that Wufei is, and so am I, correct?"

"Yes." Suspicious, short. _Why are we still talking? _

"But do you understand what _your_ presence means to a fate?"

_I don't CARE what my presence means to a fate. Stop talking to me. Leave me alone. _"Trowa said ... he could follow Wufei's actions, and yours, through me. He told me that a while ago." Automatic response. He asked, I told him. Now shut up.

Treize paused. "Is that all he said?" he asked, sounding completely surprised. "It's true, of course, as far as it goes, but -"

"Yes. That's what he told me. He hasn't talked to me in a while, though. I don't remember his exact words, but that was the gist of what he said." _NOW will you leave me alone?_

His brow knit, Treize glanced at me, apparently perturbed. "Odd behavior for one who needs to observe us through you."

I shrugged, not saying anything, my gaze skittering away from his. What the fuck did I know? I was just the tool, remember? Moron.

He sighed. "...Hn. Well, all right. He didn't tell you enough. Did he mention the Written at all?"

Gads, we're _still_ talking about this? What was his problem? It was patently obvious to me that it didn't _matter_ if I understood what was happening. Things were going to happen whether I wished them to or not, so what was the point? I gave him a tired glare. "Yes. He said there were two. One that the Fates followed, and one that was known only to Jouten."

Treize nodded. "Good. And did he tell you what anankha meant in context of that?"

I shrugged and rolled my eyes at the window. Geez, he simply did not give up, did he? "He said the Fates can't predict what you do, but that everyone's actions are already known to Jouten. Yours simply aren't written down in the Book they use - "

"Right - "

" - and your actions - or the actions of any anankha - cloud things around everyone else's actions."

"Correct," he agreed. "But he didn't tell you what my actions mean to him as a Fate personally."

I blinked, considering. "Um ... well ... no. He didn't. But he didn't seem very happy about it."

"He's not," Treize confided. "On the whole, Taru's not happy when I'm around."

An involuntary retort flashed through my mind. _Yes, well, who IS happy when you're around? _

"He was afraid. He was afraid if you knew who he was, back on the island ..." I didn't finish that sentence. I didn't think it needed to be finished.

"To a fate, having an anankha around them is the same as teetering a beaker of acid on a pole above their head. And," he said, looking at me and raising his eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his lips, "I always knew who he was, silly thing."

"You _did?_" I couldn't stop myself; it was out before I could choke it back, my eyes huge. I clamped my mouth shut as soon as I saw his amused expression, but the damage had already been done.

"Yes, I did," he said with a tiny smile. "But that's all right. He doesn't need to know."

"Um .. okay. I - I won't tell him."

He nodded, but seemed to be preoccupied again. "And you say he's been - quiet - for a while?"

"Ah - yes." I thought for a moment. "I haven't heard from him since - well - since we were on the island, really."

"Hmm ... he must have dropped you," Treize said, musing. "Are you sure he hasn't said _anything _to you lately?"

My heart sank. He _dropped_ me? Like, left me to endure whatever with - with - _Treize_? Fates _did_ that? Like it was a love affair gone wrong - a piece of fruit spoiled and rotten - something negligible to be thrown away - and he didn't even TELL me? He didn't even have the balls or common decency to say something pathetic like, 'I don't think we should talk anymore,' or 'We don't have anything in common,' 'I'm afraid we've grown apart,' or the dreaded 'It's not _you_, it's _me_.'

My small, tiny voice started to wail. Again. I clamped down on THAT immediately. Every single unique voice of mine was NOT going to say a WORD to this - man - demon - at all. I already promised myself that. If and when I mourned, it was going to be well away from him. I was hidden inside myself, secure in my little shell. Fuck him and every nonhuman like him. Right now, I hated them all. Equally.

"No. Just - what you heard yesterday," I replied woodenly, tightening my grip on Jack and looking out the window. A disposable tool, that was Po, yupyup. But this tool was going to be as silent as the grave.

"I was wondering about that. Taru's goal is important - at least, to Taru." He was silent again, thinking. I was, as well; I certainly had nothing to add that could demystify Trowa's behavior. "Curious," Treize murmured again. "Observing from afar, and yet he needs your information. How very curious."

I shrugged again, still saying nothing. What the fuck. The tool had nothing to say. The cheese stood alone. I kept my silence and my fingers busy scratching Jack.

* * *

We drove for a long time. I watched the scenery flash by, such as it was, and tried not to think of anything. At one point, Treize took my hand and started to examine it, looking at it the same way he looked at Wufei earlier. I was surprised, but did not put up a fuss; after all, if he wanted to look at my hand, who was I to say no? He stopped fairly quickly; he had that "nah, too silly" look on his face. I figured he simply became bored. After all, I was completely human, not part human like Wufei. I wasn't interesting enough. 

He eventually broke the silence, speaking gently, expecting an answer.

"My second question, Sally, of the initial two - what do you think happened today?"

I stared. Here was the question I didn't want to answer, the one that churned my gut and made my soul bleed. I bit my lip and looked out the window. "I'm not entirely sure." Which, technically, was true - I really didn't know. Nor did I _WANT _to know.

"Fair enough - but I want you to tell me what you _think_ happened." His tone turned dry. "It must have been very bad, given your reaction."

Now I imagined myself curled into a tight, protective ball around Jack, a hard crustaceous shell surrounding soft, vulnerable me all the way on the far side of the car, as far as I could possibly get from Treize.

"I ... felt ... things," I said slowly. Gods, I did NOT want to do this at all. I spoke to the window. "You ... you ... did something ... to Wufei."

"Things." I heard Treize pause, then start again, the timbre of his voice different, softer. "Ahhh. You probably felt it channeled directly through him ... didn't you?"

_And how the fuck would I know that?_ I shrugged at the window, looking down at Jack, petting him. "I ... guess ..." I whispered, almost inaudible.

"Ah ... my apologies, Sally. I knew you would feel something, but I didn't realize you would feel _that_. I would have seen to it that you were unconscious." He sounded sincere. "I AM sorry, Sally."

_So? So he's sorry? Can he take it back? Can he mend that ripped, rent place in your soul? No? Then what possible difference does his 'sorry' make?_

Jack and I were fascinated with the scenery of France. We had nothing to say. I had nothing to say. There _was_ nothing to say. His apology made absolutely no difference. It didn't change the way I felt, it didn't change his actions ... it was a big "aww, that's too bad it happened to you, kiddo. Sorry 'bout that."

The silence was thick and heavy. If he was looking for absolution, he needed to look somewhere else, because he sure as hell wasn't getting it from _me_. What - I was supposed to open up and let him hurt me yet again, knock me over and step on me again? Not from me, not in THIS lifetime.

After several minutes, Treize started speaking. "Aside from what you felt, Sally, what do you THINK happened? What difference does this make? What do you think this means?"

I measured my words, to say the absolute minimum. That way, it wouldn't hurt as much. "He's yours. He belongs to you. You claimed him. He went - willingly - and - and that's it." _End of story, Po - mission over - subject lost - you failed. Failed. Failed. FAILED. _

My eyes closed in abject misery. I cried silent tears into Jack's fur, my back to Treize. _I failed leave me alone let me go - _

"That's a very nice technical description, Sally - but it's not telling me what you think."

_-- And STOP THAT. You DID NOT FAIL anything. I would not be here if you did. _

I jumped and whirled around, scared at the intimate way Treize just - just dropped INTO my head with that thought and engulfed my entire being. Rubbing my face with the back of my hand, I blinked and sniffed, trying to get calm enough to talk. Wordlessly, he fished into a pocket and handed me some tissues. I took them, wiped my eyes and nose, and realized with a sinking heart that really and truly, nothing was ever going to be the same in my life again.

I tried. "This ... I ... you have no IDEA ..." The pain of having my soul ripped apart and trampled again choked me. Tears threatened, hot and angry behind my eyelids. The window was cool felt good to my forehead and cheek, but I couldn't plaster my face against the windowpane for the rest of the trip. Jack, took, unwrapped from my lap and nosed up to my chin, trying to lick my face in his attempt to comfort me.

"I am trying to GET an idea, Sally," Treize said softly. "That's why I'm asking you. I'm not going to dive into your head and rip the thoughts from your mind. I need you to tell me. Because ... I think you don't understand."

Hiccups, now, and gods, how I hated them. Patiently, Treize waited until the worst of them were over, then looked at me.

"All - all right," I said, trying again. "You - you claimed him. That means that he belongs to you. That's what Trowa said. And if he belongs to you, that means ... that he's always going to be with you, too."

"Yes, Sally. Very good. But now you must define your terms. At this point, they're empty. Shoes belong to me, and you belong to me, and Wufei belongs to me. But everything I just named is vastly different. Also, Wufei would have been with me for the rest of his life anyway."

I started, a hollow feeling in my chest. "What - what do you mean, I _belong_ to you?"

Treize's eyebrow shot up. "We've discussed this briefly, but now is not the time. Consider yourself under the umbrella of my protection. All right?"

"Well ... all ... right ..."

"Good." He gave me a small smile, keeping part of his attention on the road while he glanced at me. "Now. I need for you to define to me WHY you ran away."

That stopped me. I looked at him, feeling terribly uncertain. "Well ... because ... he ... he didn't need me anymore. He doesn't want me anymore. He has you. You - you took him. I ... couldn't protect him." Those damn tears again - they just wouldn't stop. I hitched a little, dabbed at my eyes again and frowned, trying to assimilate what we just discussed. "But you said -"

" - you aren't supposed to protect him in that manner. And he does need you, Sally. If you leave now, he'll be dead in six months."

Horror dipped through me. "No - no, Treize. I - I don't want that. I _never_ wanted that."

"I know you didn't, Sally, or I would have been ... _angry _... when I found you."

People talk about the power of words, but they didn't understand the power that words can have behind them. When Treize said the word _angry_, poor Jack whimpered and tried to hide himself under my shirt. I felt the same way Jack felt, but there was nowhere for me to hide. When Treize was angry, he was frightening.

"Treize," I said, my voice close to a whisper, "Treize, I would never hurt Wufei. Please ... please, you must believe me."

"I know, Sally," he said, his voice reassuring. "I know you wouldn't hurt him. I believe you. Now - I need you to calm down and relax a little so we can talk, all right? I'd like the chance to explain to you what really happened."

I took a deep breath, rubbing Jack. Then I looked at Treize, feeling as if I was naked. "Okay, Treize. Go ahead. Explain what - what happened - because I really don't understand."

"A claim is, in normal circumstances, is indeed a permanent thing. That should not, in and of itself, frighten you - it isn't as if I were ever going to simply let him go. Or you, either." He smiled, pushing my hair away from my forehead and tucking it behind my ear, petting the side of my head slowly, calmly. Affectionately.

"Oh," I said faintly. "Oh. I - oh." That phrase even shut up my evil little voice. We were both speechless.

"Think about it, Sally. I have, for the first time in millennia, one of the most perfect specimens of the Dragon Clan in my possession, and not coincidentally, that dragon's Guardian has come into my possession as well. Both are unique in their own lines. I would be a fool not to insure the safety and well-being of both individuals, would I not?"

I sat back in my seat and looked at him, blinking. _Caught, snared, the lion has you in his paws, claws out, and is grinning .._. "Y-yes, I - I guess so -"

He smiled, brushing the back of his hand across my cheek. "Saa, don't cry, Sally. I will take good care of you. But you must understand what happened today. What a claim means in normal circumstances perhaps can be best couched in human terms with which you are familiar, even though ... well. They don't _quite_ work. Have you ever seen two people deeply in love?"

"Um ... yes. My - my parents." I was cautious, watching him, my hands holding Jack now instead of scratching him. Jack was quiet, as well.

"The way they looked at each other when they were in a deeply affectionate mood - what did you see?"

"They - they - smiled at each other - you could tell ... they sort of ignored everyone else. They were in their own little world." I could see them in my mind's eye, laughing over coffee in Beijing, forgetting I was there. They could only see each other.

"Take that, and magnify it - and you have the attitude of the claimed person toward the one who claimed him or her. It is a condition of peace. Happiness. Contentment. The claimer has some influence over the claimed, it is true. In most cases, he could instruct the claimed to ... well. How to feel, or how to be, or how to act. However, you don't need to worry. This won't be the case with Wufei."

I stared at him, swallowing. "...oh. So -" I fumbled, speaking slowly, " - Wufei - loves you ..."

"...sort of. It's close enough for our purposes. But understand, Sally - as the dragon grows older, while he will remain mine in most senses of the world, his mind and attitude will no longer belong to me. He will retain my color - my mark - and others will know to whom he belongs. However, in terms of the future, his own choices will be open to him again, unless I force myself upon him. Mentally, that is to say. So ... you might consider this phase ... sort of a training time. Rather like a child with a parent." He stopped for a moment to glance at me. "This is the time of his life during which he learns he can trust me. He learns that he can rely upon me. He learns that I care for him, and will keep him safe. And that I will not let him go." The last remark was included almost casually, as an aside.

_The 'oh, by the way, no one's going anywhere for the rest of their lives, remember,' remark._

"And when his mind is his to change again, he will - most likely - not fight to leave me, and wish to remain."

"Yes. I imagine he will," I said quietly, looking at the top of Jack's head. Gods. We were all children to him.

He was silent for a moment. "Please. Sally. If you have any questions at all, I want to hear them. I WILL answer you."

I didn't look at him. "So. You're - training him."

"Teaching him," Treize corrected.

I sighed. "All right. _Teaching_ him. But teaching him what, exactly? What do you want, ultimately, with him? You already said you're not going to let him go, so this 'training' - or 'teaching,' whatever label you want to put on it - is only going to reinforce that." I shrugged. "So why be coy?"

"I'm teaching him about myself. And no, I'm not going to let him go, but that hardly means I'm going to drug and chain him to a wall. In case you hadn't noticed, Sally, I allow as much freedom to those who, in the eyes of others, belong to me as I can. That includes the freedom of choice."

_Yes, of course, how could I have missed THAT? I had SO much choice in being HERE -_

"I don't MAKE you like me -"

And without warning, Treize's aura flared, overwhelming me utterly. Bronze light flooded the car; but much more than that, I felt his presence - that sensual, erotic, physical presence that electrified every nerve and was so pleasing, so hypnotic, so powerful -

" - but I could. I simply choose not to."

I gaped at him stupidly from the opposite side of the car, wondering what the hell just happened. A small smile was tugging at his mouth as he glanced at me.

"Wha - I - "

And then I realized what he did. Anger and fury flooded back in full measure. I glared and hissed, "Don't DO that!"

"Sorry," he replied, grinning.

Scowling, I snapped, "_Fine_. All right - you _choose_ not to, but you could." _Jerk._

He laughed. "Yes, Sally. I choose not to, even though it's within both my right and ability. I know your experience with the supernatural has been - superficial, at best. But you will never find another being who will treat you as I do. I'm rather unique."

"No _kidding,_" I said dryly. _Unique is probably an understatement ..._

Treize smirked. "I believe you're correct."

* * *

"Did he tell you anything else about me?" 

I blinked over at Treize. "Um ... Trowa? Well ... yes, of course he did." I shrugged, looking away. "It was probably wrong, too."

"Saa ... don't jump to conclusions. You have the right to ask him, and me, any questions you like, and decide on your own." I could feel his gaze on me; I wiggled, a little uncomfortable. "I doubt everything he told you was wrong," he said, his voice gentle. "In fact, he may have only equivocated on one or two points."

"Oh, you mean ... like ... what my _JOB_ really was? Things like that?" I snapped, bitter and angry. Jack was on my lap, his tiny paws on my shoulders, trying to lick my face again. He could tell I was getting upset. Yet again.

"Yes," Treize agreed gently. "He did that because he's terrified of me, Sally. I don't think I can explain further than that. You don't have enough background knowledge yet."

"Right," I said, keeping myself very tight. "It doesn't matter anyway."

It took Treize a long moment to respond, but when he did, he took me completely by surprise. "It does matter, Sally," he replied softly. "What you have to say, think, or feel does matter. It makes a difference, and I want to know."

That was NOT what I expected. "Well ... fine. One of the things he did tell me is that you killed my ancestors. A lot. And ... he showed me ... things. Lots - lots of my ancestors."

"Yes. I did kill some of you ancestors - but I am quite sure Taru did not tell you _why._"

My chest was tight and it was hard to breathe. I was rubbing Jack so much that static electricity was dancing in his coat as the poor dog's fur was practically standing straight up.

"He - he told me enough," I rasped, looking down. "They - they tried to protect dragons. That's what he said. That's what he showed me. I was his last defense. That's what he said." Choking, my voice thick with emotion, I tried to finish, "...and ... and ... I - I - well..."

"Mmmm ... protect dragons ..." Treize sounded thoughtful. "Is that what he called it?"

I was crying again, really crying, and I couldn't stop. I could only nod and bury my head in Jack's coat.

"... I guess ..." I felt like such a failure, so bad, just so horrible, that I wanted to close my eyes and disappear.

A large, soothing something reached around my shoulders and rubbed between them, calming me. "I suppose it could be phrased that way. Possibly." Treize sounded unhappy. "Your ancestors, Sally, had a tendency to overreact. In fact, quite a few of them tried to kill their charges - kill the dragon, that is. Given the choice between allowing them to live and having the dragon dead or the reverse ... well..."

I sniffed, not sure I had heard him correctly. "Ex - excuse me?" I hiccupped and blinked. "Did you just say my ancestors tried to kill - kill - _dragons?_" Just the thought of killing someone like Wufei filled me with nothing but horror.

Soberly, Treize regarded me. "Yes, Sally, they did. They thought they were doing them a favor."

"I - I don't understand. Didn't they feel what I feel? Couldn't they see the dragon?"

"Oh, yes, Sally, they could feel and see the dragon." Treize's tone was full of unaccustomed bitterness, so much so that I drew back, startled. He noticed and continued, his voice gentler, "I don't know how they could do that. With some of them it was even more so, because they were raised knowing their purpose _and_ their charge."

It was too horrific. Something twisted inside me, something tied, inextricably, to Wufei. "I - I could never do that, Treize. I could never harm Wufei. Those people - my ancestors - must have been insane. I can't think of any other explanation."

"Only two of them managed to succeed," Treize continued, his voice even, "three, if you count a delayed reaction. And there was no insanity in your family, Sally. It was simply the fact that some members of your family were told - and fully believed - that I was a monster, and that their charges needed to be kept from me at all costs."

I swallowed. Now THAT was a familiar refrain. "So ... you killed Guardians."

"Not when I could avoid it. But a few needed to be locked away. Some of them were ... no longer needed, and I simply sent them away. Of course, there came a time when they simply gave up on the dragon and abandoned it. Then it was no longer a problem."

"...oh. You mean ... they left." I started sniffing again, and rubbed Jack. He really was a wonderful stress reliever.

"Yes. They quit. Fled. Abandoned the dragon."

_Well, REALLY, Po, what human family wants to be annihilated for the sake of an immortal?_

_None. But I should have been told EVERYthing. Now I'm acting just like my ancestors, running away -_

" -and THAT is not your fault at all," Treize said, answering my thoughts. "Taru and I are going to have words this evening. This nonsense of his has gone on long enough."

"Umm ...oh. Okay.."

I bit my lip and looked at him, right over Jack's head. He didn't seem angry at me, just weary in general. But I couldn't tell for sure - my emotions were all out of whack.

We were close to home, almost at the mansion. Treize had turned off the autoban and had been driving in the city for a while.

"There will be repercussions for stealing the car, I fear," he murmured, glancing at me. "I'll make them as minor as possible. Unfortunately, this incident involved too many people to simply keep it hidden."

I could feel my face getting hot. Swallowing, I looked down at Jack's head and ran my thumb over Jack's ear. "Um ..oh. I ... well ...I'm - sorry, Treize. I - I didn't ..."

_Feh. Didn't expect to get caught - didn't expect YOU to show up, that's for sure ... _

"I know, Sally. It's all right. Everyone goes through something like this in their lives."

"Um ... well ... there - there shouldn't be any permanent damage to the car ... anyway ..." I trailed off when I saw his amused expression.

"No, no permanent damage - but look at the situation from a different point of view than your own, Sally. You ran from your appointed guardian, took all the tools in the room you could, including a scalpel, and stole an expensive car. The world will not see you as a reformed criminal. People will see you as _more_ dangerous, not less."

"What? I'm more dangerous because I stole a car with a _scalpel?_ I just opened the car, Treize, I didn't stab anyone - "

"Of course you didn't, Sally. I know that, and Wufei will think nothing ill of you. Depending upon how we swing it, of course."

"How we -" I stopped, blinking at him, and thought about that. Damn. Said the wrong way, Wufei would think I was completely insane.

I sighed, resigned. "So. I suppose I won't be going on any shopping trips for a while, will I?"

"No, I don't think so. At least, not unless I'm with you and Lady Une stays with you at all times. I'll send Lady Une out as soon as possible to obtain an abbreviated wardrobe for you, since ... ah ... you were unable to purchase one for yourself today."

I glared at him. He glanced back, one eyebrow lifted in polite inquiry. I looked away and sulked, feeling about twelve and hating him more than I thought possible. This was just one more unpleasant little item to load onto all the other unpleasant things that happened today.

"Feh," I mumbled. What a lousy end to a rotten day.

* * *

Treize drove into the mansion's underground garage, and to my surprise, several police cruisers were waiting for us. I stared at them, then at Treize, alarmed. 

"What - what's this? What do you want me to do?"

"_You_ will be quiet. I will speak for you," Treize said, looking at me. "Simply get out of the car and follow me into the house. Do not say anything at all. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Treize, I understand."

Once Treize parked the car, the doors of the cruisers opened, disgorging several official-looking people in trench coats and a few uniformed policemen with guns. The alarm was still with me, but strangely enough, knowing that I was with Treize made me feel ... protected. Safe. And now I could look at those people a little more critically than before, realizing that the trench coat men had a little more paunch than they probably wanted others to notice. Ditto for the uniforms. Plus -

_**Sally**. Not. One. Word. _

I started, then got out of the car, carrying Jack in my arms. Jack, being the wonderful puppy he was, was very quiet, knowing something was happening..

"General! General, we were hoping that -"

"Ah, gentlemen! Shall we go inside?" He was so urbane, so charming, and so in control, everyone else was taken aback. He swept his hand behind my back, ushering me toward the elevator, not giving the police the opportunity to get near me.

_Of course not. They will not dare be rude to Me, my dear._

My gaze fastened to the floor, I ruefully considered the consequences of the local police being rude to the ruler of the world. Probably not in their best interests, but I wondered if they looked at things that way.

Before I knew it, we were all standing inside the foyer, smiling at each other. Ick. I happened to peek around the largest of the Trench coats and saw Wufei, asleep on the couch in the sitting room, lovingly covered by a light blanket. I sighed, relieved that he wasn't going to see THIS little scene.

"Sally. Go upstairs, please."

I nodded to everyone, noting the expression of consternation on all the Trenchcoats' faces and trotted obediently up the stairs. They could go ahead and argue with Treize. I had no energy left

* * *

Someone was knocking, rather insistantly, on my door. I sighed, rolled off the bed, thumped over and blearily opened the door. "Yes?" 

"The police are gone, Sally." Treize stood in the doorway, studying me. "You have a couple of hours before dinner, so you can relax for now."

"Okay, Treize." I nodded and looked down, tired. "Um ... thank you ... for - for everything."

"Sally." The tenor of his voice demanded I look up. He was gentle, but insistent. "This isn't the end of your life - you're simply reaping what you sewed. Or did it never occur to you that being a guerilla leader would have results?"

I looked away. "No. It - it did. I've been imprisoned before." _But I've actually been able to ESCAPE before ... _

Treize sighed. "Turn around, Sally," he ordered. "Come on, turn around."

Mystified, I obeyed. "What - "

"A lot of this will be solved tonight. It will all be worked out in the end - all right?" His strong fingers manipulated the tight muscles about my neck and shoulders, then started to work on the muscles attaching to my shoulder blades.

Involuntarily, I groaned in pleasure. "Oh - ooooooooooh, gods, that feels so gooooood..."

I heard him chuckle behind me. "Of course it does. That's better. Calm down, just calm do -" For one moment, Treize went utterly still; he stopped massaging and speaking, his hands rested lightly on my back and shoulders. Then he started rubbing my back, just as enthusiastically as he had before, even more so.

"Uunnnghhh..."

There was a hot, tight knot right in the middle of my back, something that felt like it was the size of my fist, attached to my left shoulder blade. I thought it was just my back; as Treize worked on me, I realized it was actually from my neck.

"All right, Sally. Go take a shower, then take a nap. Don't waste what I just did to your back." He looked down at me, mock-serious.

"Yes ... fine ... all right."

* * *

Someone was knocking on my door _again; _plus, something wet was slapping itself all over my face. Couldn't anyone leave me in peace? 

I opened one eye. It was promptly washed by a puppy tongue. Sputtering, I rolled over. "Oh. Thanks, Jack."

The puppy looked totally adorable, cocking his head this way and that, doing his 'puppy dance' on the bed. I sighed, blinking a little, still feeling out of it.

"Do you want to go outside, Jack? Is that it?"

Knocking, again, on the bedroom door; so _that's_ what he was trying to tell me. "Oh. Right." Scooping Jack up, I padded over to the door and opened it, expecting to see Treize again, ready to tell him I had showered and napped, just as he instructed.

Instead, I opened the door to see Wufei. And this was a relaxed Wufei, with a nice smile, looking for _me. "_Hi. Are you okay?"

I stared. I wasn't prepared to see him. A lump swelled in my throat; it wasn't there seconds before, but suddenly, there it was. I swallowed around it and blinked. "Um ... hi. I'm ... fine, Wufei. I was just lying down."

_Remember your manners, you dope. _I opened the door a fraction wider. "Did you - did you - want to come in?" God knows what he wanted to do now, I certainly didn't know.

"Only if you want me to." He acted shy. "I just wanted you to know it's time for dinner."

_Practical, practical. You need to eat, he's coming to get you. He did think of you, at least. _I gave him a wan smile. "Oh. Thanks."

"Aren't you hungry?" He was really laid back, very gentle. Not like the old high strung Wufei at all.

I missed Wufei acutely. This was probably better, in some respects, for him - he was more relaxed - but I wanted my Wufei back. _MY _Wufei.

_Your Wufei is gone, silly cow, if he ever existed at all. _

"No, not really," I admitted, shrugging, stepping out into the hall and closing the door. "But whatever is cooking smells good."

"No?" Wufei gave me a strange look. "What's wrong? I know you have a weird day ... Une came back crying."

I looked down, feeling my shoulders droop. "Ohhh. Yes ... we didn't have a good time shopping ..."

"Hey, Sally, don't do that," Wufei murmured softly, touching my arm, concerned. "What's wrong with you? I know something's wrong." The dragon was trying to butt its small head against me, making small, keening sounds.

"I ... Wufei ... you're so sweet." I swallowed again, feeling those damn tears sting the back of my eyelids. "Maybe - maybe we can talk after dinner. That would help me. Right now, though, we'd better go downstairs - Treize is waiting."

"...yes ... Treize ... is waiting." A small shiver ran across his shoulders. I couldn't watch it, but I couldn't look away. _ARGH..._

So that's what we did. Arm in arm, we walked downstairs to dinner.

* * *

There were four places set for dinner at the kitchen island. One for Wufei, one for me, one for Treize, and one for ... someone else. 

This was yet another "if it can't be cured, it must be endured" type of scenario. I was on the sidelines, watching the play between Wufei and Treize. Wufei walked into the room, saw Treize and lit up, looking hauntingly beautiful. He was happy, pleased, adoring - his world, now, was perfect. Through Treize, he had attained Nirvana.

Treize smiled back, thoroughly pleased.

Ugh. Now_ I _was thoroughly depressed.

"Sit down, you two. We will have one more guest tonight, I hope - "

"Who?" Wufei had pulled out my chair and was seating me, something I hadn't expected at ALL. He patted my shoulder once, then sat down, his attention focused on Treize.

"An old comrade of yours."

"What?" Wufei stiffened, obviously uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about it, Wufei."

Immediately, he relaxed. "All right." Picking up the lo mien dish closest to him, Wufei murmured, "Here, Sally - the dish is hot. Let me serve you." I gave him my plate, and he gave me portions of lo mien, fried rice, steamed vegetables ... everything he knew I liked.

"Thank you, Wufei. It looks delicious," I offered, giving him a small smile.

He smiled in return and started eating. I looked at my dinner; at the baby corn, the broccoli and the bok choi, and realized that if I ate anything now, I'd probably be revisiting it in the very near future. Ugh. I wasn't _touching _it.

However, I could rearrange it to make it look like I ate something. And perhaps Jack would like some ...?

A surreptitious look around showed me that Treize was occupying Jack in the kitchen; entertaining him, really, making him run for little bits and pieces of meat and such. I doubted very much if Jack wanted to eat baby corn, but stranger things have happened.

Treize was talking about something or another, I had no idea what. I couldn't focus. I could only focus on not watching Wufei react strongly to Treize, or, in fact, no watching Wufei react to Treize at ALL.

"Sally. You didn't touch your dinner at all." Wufei sounded so concerned, so worried.

"It's ... I ... I really wasn't that hungry, Wufei ..." _Drink more water, Po, that will help your stomach_

"Are you ill? Do you need a doctor?"

"She'll be fine, Wufei."

I stared at my broccoli as if it could speak to me. Perhaps it could. _You'll be fine, Po. You'll forget all about him and start again with someone else -_

"Wufei ."

"Yes, Treize?"

"It's time for bed. Leave the dishes, too. Just go on up and go to sleep."

"Yes, sir." Wufei stood, touched my arm, then gave Treize an adoring look and left the kitchen immediately.

Several moments later, when Wufei was out of earshot, Treize spoke to the fourth place setting. "Very well - you may show yourself now, Taru."

I stared at Treize and the end of the kitchen island. Without warning, Trowa was sitting in the last chair, looking extremely nervous.

Weirder and weirder. Blinking, I said, very slowly, "Tro - Trowa?"

"Dinner, Taru?" Treize asked, cheerful.

"If you'd like." Trowa was stiff and formal, with no smile, no inflection in his voice, nothing. But there was something about his manner, as well - he seemed, for lack of a better word - utterly stiff and still.

I stared at him, longer now. Here was the man who wasn't a man. Here was the Immortal who told me that my ancestors had been killed by Treize, but had neglected to tell me that they had tried to KILL dragons, those wonderful creatures.

"Don't be so terrified. I told you - if you came, I wouldn't do all those nasty things I said I would do." Food was ladled onto his plate; slowly, Trowa started to eat, his gaze darting from side to side.

"I'm not that hungry."

"That's fine, Taru. Not a problem. So. How long have you known Sally was anankha?"

Silverware clattered to the table and Taru's eyes went wide. I stared at Treize as if he had lost his mind. "What are you talking about? I'm not anankha - you are, and Wufei is, but I'm certainly not."

Treize sat on the stool across from us, his elbows on the counter, and looked at Taru. "Now - tell her the truth. She has a right to know."

Wooden, Taru said, "... you are anankha, Sally Po. Ever since the island."

I didn't believe him. "Oh, come on, Trowa. You're kidding. That's silly. That would mean that I should have died when -" I stopped there, frozen, and stared at him.

Right.

"The dogs should have killed you."

"Anything else?" Treize probed, his voice gentle.

"No."

Treize looked at Trowa, apparently seeing something that bothered him. "Taru. Calm."

What Trowa probably saw was me, sliding off my chair and stalking over to him. He certainly looked panicked; I know _I _would have been in his shoes.

"_**You**. _Left _**me**_. _**Alone**_. With _**him**_." I enunciated each word very clearly and pointed directly at Treize, so there was no misunderstanding. My jaw was set; I was furious. "You **_used_** me, you -"

As quickly as Trowa appeared, he disappeared. Treize gave a frustrated sigh. " ... I was afraid of that. Well, he was so frightened - I suppose I don't blame him."

"WHAT?"

"Seriously? Don't take it personally, Sally. He's not an evil person."

"He's not a _person_ at all!"

"He is a person, Sally," Treize corrected. "He's just not human."

I glared and refused to say anything. _People are human. _

Treize raised an eyebrow at me. "Now, Sally. Humans are human - people are of all kinds. Unless, of course, you really wish to be totally racist. I suppose I must allow you to be that blind, if you wish -"

"How dare you - I am _not_ racist! What are you implying?" My voice rose; I was nearly shouting, I was so angry.

"You just said AND thought that only people are human -"

"They ARE!" _And that's the end of THAT - _

"Then you are racist," Treize said simply.

"No, I'm not," I insisted.

"Oh? Then define 'people.'" Treize tilted his head, inquiring, waiting for me.

I blinked, caught. "Um .. people are ... are ... "

He smiled. "Do you want some help?"

I sighed, obviously pained. "...yes, please."

"Very well, then. When racism was the norm, hundreds and hundreds of years ago, why were certain people defined as being non-human?"

Oh, FEH. I looked down. "Because - because - the one group wanted to think of the other AS animals, not as people."

"Mmmhmm. And when they were accepted as people, why was it?"

"Because ... because they were finally recognized as individuals with feelings ... beings who could learn, and love, and hurt, and bleed ..."

"So. You assume the dichotomy is between human and animal. Why? What makes the difference? Sentience? Intelligence? Responsibility?"

I was shifting around, very uncomfortable. He had me, and I knew it. There was no escape. All I could do was wait and see how badly this was going to turn out. Gads, the man wanted me to LEARN something from him all the TIME. Every time we had a conversation like this, my head hurt.

"Then does it not stand to reason that anyone with sentience, responsibility - or the ability to TAKE it - and such intelligence as to understand those things..is a person? If that is your definition of human, Sally, then I would be human, as well. That is my definition of a PERSON. The species - human, or whatever - really has nothing to do with it."

Yeah. Ouch. My brain definitely hurt. "All right - fine, Treize. Using that definition, there are more things that fit into that category than - than I thought."

"Of course there are - unless, of course, you want to think that a mere animal has taken over the world?"

I shrugged.

"Of course, you realize that makes Wufei an animal - he's not really human, you know."

Glaring, I retorted, "Wufei's no animal."

"Oh? And why is that? He isn't human, as you well know. In fact - should you ever require a blood transfusion, you could not receive blood from him. His DNA, if studied deeply enough, would reveal itself to be ... quite different. He won't even age at the same rate. Thus - not human."

"He's _partially_ human," I retorted, glowering. "He's not ALL Seiyruu."

"So, he's partly an animal? That is absurd, and you know it."

I turned away from him, huffing. "No! He's - he's not part animal. He's simply not completely human. He's ... he's a hybrid."

"Saa, don't do that." Walking behind me, Treize gently turned me back around, put his hand under my chin and tilted my head up until I was looking at him. His gaze was smiling and warm, not challenging at all. "Non-human does not mean non-person, Sally."

I sighed. "O - okay, Treize. I understand. Just because someone isn't human ... doesn't mean they aren't a person."

He gave me a soft smile. "Good girl. You will see many more - individuals - now - than you have in the past. This household will be much more of a target for the .. ah ... unusual. I don't want you unprotected. All right?"

That made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. I frowned. "I .. guess so. Sure. All right."

He chuckled a little and patted the side of my face. "Don't worry about it, Sally. It will be all right."

* * *

I sighed again and stared off into space, thinking for a few moments. This was getting MUCH too complicated and weird. 

"Are you sleepy?" Surprised, I turned to find Treize watching me quite closely.

"Um ... no ... I'm okay ..." Actually, I was feeling like a wet dishrag, but I wasn't going to tell HIM that.

"Then what would you rather do?"

"Do?" I asked, puzzled.

"Yes, do. Or would you rather sit there and ... ah ... look at me?"

_That_ galvanized me into action. Pushing myself out of my chair, I shook my head and blinked, looking around for Jack. "Ah .. no, no, of course not, that's just silly. I - I guess I'll take Jack out for a little while into the garden, and then go to bed." I knelt down reaching for Jack, who was wriggling toward me. "Come here, boy!"

Treize considered me for a moment, then said, his voice quietly authoritative, "No, I don't think so. I think, instead, Sally, that you will stay here and eat. You haven't eaten anything today."

I looked up at him, shocked, blinking. "W-what? But - but, Treize - " I tried for a reasonable tone, " - really, I'm not hungry - "

"There's no need to pretend at this point, Sally. I can tell." His tone was even and steady, the same as his stare, which pinned me right in place. "Even if I couldn't read your mind, it would be obvious. Your body is running in near-constant panic mode. It doesn't matter if you're hungry." Slightly chiding, he raised one eyebrow. "Aren't you a doctor? You know what shock does to the senses."

My lips tightened in annoyance and I scowled at him. "Yes, of _course_ I know what it does -"

"Fine. Then don't argue. Just eat. If you must eat only a little, then have some protein."

I felt my eyes widen involuntarily and I inhaled, ready to quarrel; but one look at his face convinced me that any such argument would be futile.

" ... all right." Reluctantly, I walked over to the high stools at the kitchen island. Jack was wiggling around at my feet, tail wagging, happy as ever. I glanced down at him before I sat down. _Still hungry, puppy? Come on over and - _

I had no idea Treize was still watching me, or, for that matter, monitoring my thoughts.

_Do you REALLY think I'm stupid, Sally, and that tricks that work from human children to unwatchful parents will work with me?_

My head snapped up immediately; I gasped, my gaze trapped again by Treize's intense blue stare. All the blood drained from my face and went zooming into my feet, along with my stomach, leaving only an icy pit. My fingers wrapped tightly around the spindles of the chair. I was stunned.

_- but - but - _

_I won't permit you to harm yourself over this. That includes eating. And while feeding your dog is perfectly acceptable, feeding your dog at the cost of yourself is NOT. Do you understand?_

Neither one of us uttered a single word. In fact, the only sounds in the room had been Jack's nails clicking on the tile and his panting. Treize stood, one arm casually crooked on the bar, watching me with a enigmatic expression while I clutched the stool in a death grip, reminiscent of how I held Jack earlier that afternoon.

Before, I would have told him to go straight to hell. Now, I couldn't even string two syllables together.

" ... I ..."

"Yes?" Treize arched one eyebrow and waited for me to finish.

It was no use. I gave in, pulled out the stool and sat down with a 'whump,' my shoulders slumped, defeated.

"I ... yes ...Treize ..." Never in my entire life had so much control been stripped from me so thoroughly.

_Deal with it, Po. You're not in charge any more. If you ever were, that is. _

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 8**

* * *

I was walking Jack in the back garden. It was his afternoon walk, one that both he and I enjoyed. Frankly, any excuse to escape the dullness and routine of the mansion was a good one. Outside was better than inside, and the edge of the property was better than the middle. When you were at the edge, you were that much closer to the rest of the world, and I dearly wanted to have some kind of connection to the outside world. 

_Help, help, please help me, I'm being held captive by the ruler of the world, I've fallen and I can't get up -_

"Ms. Po. You know you're not permitted to be there. Please step back."

I stiffened at the sound of that gravely voice, but didn't turn around. Oh, gods. The Nursery Guard Dog was on the attack.

"Now, Forester, you can certainly see that Jack's doing his business. Once he's finished, we'll leave this terribly unsecure area of twigs and leaves and walk to a more secure area of twigs and leaves. Will that be satisfactory?"

He grunted. "Yes, Ms. Po."

I turned my head a little, rolling my eyes. "Waiting with us, are you?"

"Yes, Ms. Po."

"It's good to be so ... protected, Forester. The General will be pleased that you perform your duties with so much zeal."

"Yes, Ms. Po."

Damned _zealots_, that's what they all were. Jack hopped around my feet, a little ball of fluff and energy, ready to run and play.

"Okay, Jack," I sighed. "Come on. Let's go over this way. Special Forester will feel MUCH better if we're three meters east of this position, won't you, Forester?"

"Yes, Ms. Po. I was also instructed to tell you that dinner would be served in thirty minutes. The General requests the pleasure of your presence at the table tonight."

Oh, _feh. _"Thank you Forester. We'll be in."

* * *

The General's pleasure was not something I cared about; in fact, I felt pretty surly as I trudged back toward the mansion with Jack in tow. The afternoon sunlight slanted though the trees, sparkling over leaves and bushes, turning the edges of the foliage to warm summer gold. It looked lovely, soft, inviting, and the temperature was absolutely perfect. I hardly cared. 

My gaze scraped the ground, watching Jack scurry along. It had been three weeks since Treize dragged me back, and those weeks had been some of the longest I'd ever endured. There were times when I thought being in a real, honest-to-goodness prison would have been easier. At least in prison I would have been able to confide in someone, have human contact. Here ... I had no one.

"Hey, Jack. Not that way - this way. Come on, boy, you'll make us late, and you know how Treize feels about us being late for dinner ..."

Forester was satisfied that we were headed toward the mansion, so he left to continue his patrol along the perimeter. Once he strode ahead of us, I shortened my stride just a little, then scooped Jack up and sidled off the path as I watched Forester march along the trail. There was a break in the trees and bushes to my right; not much of one, but it was there, and I liked to look through it, beyond the security fence. From that vantage point, with my back pressed against an evergreen, I could see the street, the outside world. It was marvelous, heaven. It gave me hope.

People were walking along the street, minding their own afternoon business; it was, after all, a weekday. And then I saw flashes of color in my peripheral vision, first on one side, then quickly on the other. Colors of the rainbow, blurring together, as if someone was running just fast enough to cause it.

I blinked._ What? _I peered through the trees, frowning. _What was that? Did I just see ... something? _

It happened againVery bright, very fast - first on my left, then on my right. And I felt something, too - it felt like _laughter_. Fluid, liquid laughter, bright and happy, moving with the color.

_Wait. That's ... a person? And he's laughing?_

Blinking, I clutched Jack a little tighter and drew back, unsure.

_Oh, no you don't - you pull yourself together, Po, and find out what that IS - _

Straightening my spine, I pushed away from the evergreen and stepped into the undergrowth, wiggling around until I was as close as I dared to the edge of the property. I _had_ to see what that was. Jack was wiggling in my arms, too, but mercifully, he wasn't making a sound.

Then I gasped.

Myriad people walked by on both sides of the street, all very busy, caught up in their own affairs. Not one of them noticed the tall, slender man who appeared out of nowherelounging against the building across the street from me. A soft, white, light surrounded him, illuminating his skin, making him glow from the inside out. The light reminded me of the aura that surrounded Seiyruu's wife; not as intense, but the same kind of quality, the same luster. His aura, for lack of a better term, was wide and still, wider, even than mine. Its character and nature, though, felt very different than any other I'd ever seen, even from this distance.

Something tugged at my soul the moment I saw him. He was so preternaturally beautiful - handsome and strong, with long blonde hair, intense blue eyes, firm, muscled arms, chiseled features, pointed ears ...

... _pointed ears...?_

_He's not human, _my little voice whispered.

His smile became even wider, and he waved.

_Well hello, Sally Po! _

I heard him. Clear as a bell on a summer's evening, his voice cut across the clutter and hustle of the street noise and flew over to me - to _me! _No one turned, no one looked, not one person even blinked. No one heard him, no one saw him - no one, that is, except me. How weird was _that? _Considering some of the other things I'd seen, this was unusual, but not unlikely.

My eyes wide, I raised one hand in greeting and slowly waved back. _Um ... hello. Who - who are you?_

Now he was grinning. I could see beautifully white, even teeth, two sharp fangs where his eyeteeth should have been. _My name's not important, Sally Po. What is important is that I've come, and I've accomplished my mission._

Confused, I shook my head and lowered my hand, scratching Jack instead. _Your - your mission? I don't understand. What was your mission?_

He was still lounging against the wall, but I swore his gaze became sharper, more focused, and his eyes were twinkling. _Why, to see you, of course, silly human. And you're just as lovely as the rumors said you were._

Ooooh, yeah, that confirmed it. Definitely not human. I stared back at him, hardly breathing. _What? R - rumors? What rumors? What - what are you talking about? _Because rumors meant talking, and talking meant people, and people implied more than one, and ohGODS I didn't want to follow THAT train of thought ...

He looked sly_. Why, the rumors about YOU. You're famous, Sally Po, didn't you know? You're the human who can see our kind - the one who interacts with demons, the one who guards a dragon princeling. There hasn't been someone like you for millennia. _The equivalent of a snicker ran through my brain, tickling my neck and shoulders, pleasantly buzzing the backs of my ears and the insides of my elbows.

That spooked me. My hands started to shake, and I clutched Jack tighter. _Oh. Well. I - I really should go. It's been nice - nice talking to you - um - whoever you are - _

Without warning, he disappeared from across the street and reappeared directly in front of me, just two meters away, right on the other side of the security fence. Involuntarily I pulled back, startled; but an indefinable something held me there, watching his amazingly expressive eyes. I wanted to be there, needed to be there, just to see him, to look into his eyes -

"Treize isn't taking any chances, is he," he murmured, tilting his head to one side, inspecting me with a small smile. "You really are very new. Did you know, Sally Po, that even if I wished, I could not take you? That this fence does much more than keep out the odd human riffraff?"

"It ... does?"

Jack growled deep in his throat, a very low, threatening sound, one I had never heard before. Surprised, I blinked and looked down at him. The fur around his neck was standing straight up, his lip had curled back from his teeth and he was showing his canines. His eyes, too, had a feral, yellow gleam. He looked dangerous and threatening, able to do some real damage.

"Oh, yes, child." The man sounded amused. "That fence, plus your little friend there, would discourage most visitors from making any contact with you at all. But I know my limits. I only want to see you, not steal you."

_STEAL me? ME? _I stared at him, unbelieving, for a long moment, until I found my voice. "You - you're kidding, aren't you? Steal me?" I finally croaked out, gaping.

He studied me, seemed to consider something, then nodded to himself. "Hn. Tell me, Sally Po," he asked, his expression serious, "how often do you walk outside alone?"

I blinked. "I - well. I'm never completely alone. Someone's always around. One of Treize's Specials, at least."

"Yes, if not Treize himself," he mused. "Now, about the Specials. Those people aren't terribly human, are they?" His smile was kind, but he knew. He _knew._

"No, they aren't." I was suspicious, and didn't like where I thought this was going.

"They also steer you clear of the edges of the property - places like this - don't they?" A knowing look, thrown right at me. _Caught you, caught you, I know all about you - _

I scowled. "It depends on how much time we have outside." _FEH. _

"Well spoken!" he said, grinning broadly. "But here's a warning you'd be wise to heed. You ARE very new - very young, very tasty. And no matter how self-sufficient you were before you were awakened, you are nothing but a babe in the woods now."

"What on earth do you -"

A flash of color in front of me, then above me, and suddenly my mystery guest pressed the length of his body against mine, centimeters away from Jack's snapping teeth.

"My dear, dear, Sally, _this _is what I mean," he murmured into my ear. "Consider this advice from a friend. Don't go near the edges of Treize's property. You never know _who _will be waiting there for you."

He was gone before I could scream.

* * *

Jack barked at the top of his little lungs, sounding the alarm. At the same time, I felt something else that - for lack of a better description - went off everywhere, in every direction, in and out and through my body. It rattled my teeth, stabbed my brain and shook me through and through, right to the marrow of my bones. Gasping, I sank down to my knees, clutched Jack, closed my eyes and prayed that whatever was happening to me would soon stop. 

"Ms. Po! Ms. Po! _MS. PO, ANSWER ME!"_

"Here - here, I'm here!"

Strong arms snaked around my ribs, hauled me unceremoniously to my feet and dragged me backwards, dumping Jack out of my lap. He was still barking, his voice shrill and strong; he hadn't stopped barking since that man had appeared next to me.

"Are you all right? Are you injured in any way?"

Fortunately, that terrible sound - feeling - had stopped. My head fell back, I opened my eyes looked straight up into Special Forester's face. To my surprise, he looked terribly worried, almost frightened. It was a curious thing; I had never seen a Special look like that before. I blinked up, confused.

_"Ms. Po. Are you injured?"_

"There's no need to shout, Special Forester, I'm right in front of you. I heard you perfectly." I frowned, shook my head and struggled to sit up. "I'm not injured. What was that horrible noise, or - or _thing_ that went off? I felt it everywhere, all through me -"

"That was the border alarm. Something breached the perimeter." I felt him studying me, his expression grim, knowing eyes prying out my secrets. "It tried to get inside the compound."

_Ha. Little do you know that it GOT inside._ I composed my face into what I hoped was a shocked expression. "To _me?"_

He frowned. "Unknown. I must make a full report to the General, once he arrives back at the mansion. You cannot remain out here alone. Please - come with me." He tugged me to my feet, and then in the direction of the house. There were no questions, no arguments, no discussion; this time, he was all business. Period.

Oh, FEH. "I will, I will, but wait - wait a minute, please - I have to get Jack - "

Forester waited the few moments it took for me to scoop Jack off the ground and into my arms, then gently put his hand under my elbow and guided me back to the house. This time, though, he didn't let go.

* * *

The moment we arrived at the mansion, Special Forester stationed himself at the front door and motioned me inside. 

"I'll wait for the General here, Ms. Po, and report to him. Please do not concern yourself. All will all be taken care of. You should wash up for dinner. The General will be here at any moment."

"Well ... thank you, Forester."

"Yes, Ms. Po."

Bristling, I glared and huffed off, slightly incensed that a Special found the need to tell me to 'wash up for dinner,' making a conscious effort not to think about what he and Treize were going to discuss. Jack yipped and trotted after me, good dog that he was.

* * *

"What _happened?"_ Wufei was standing in the foyer, waiting for me, arms crossed and a scowl fixed firmly in place. "What was that? Did you do that? Are you all right?" 

"No, I didn't do that, and of course I'm all right - look, see, we're BOTH all right." I glared a little and pointed down at Jack. "Would you mind watching him for a minute, Wufei? I'd like to wash my hands and face before dinner."

He narrowed his eyes. "Fine. But you still have to tell me what happened." Wufei reached down, ruffled Jack's fur and murmured to him, then picked him up and scratched his head. "That sound - if that's what it was - was tremendous. It rattled the dishes in here."

"Well ... yeah. It was awfully big." _Gads, Po, how lame can you get? _

I ducked into the powder room to forestall any other questions or comments and quickly closed the door. Sighing, I ran warm water over my fingers, then lathered my hands and imagined what dinner was going to be like after Treize talked to Forester.

_Brace yourself, Po. It's going to be another one of those nights. _

I had no illusions. Treize was going to ask me what had happened, point blank, in front of Wufei, and I was going to tell him and look like a complete idiot. Again. For some reason known only to him, he liked embarrassing me that way. And after that would come the inevitable lecture, how everything he did was really for me, my benefit, my safety, blah, blah, blah bad Sally bad bad Sally. FEH.

Such had been my life for the last three weeks. I wanted to stay where I was, in the powder room, and come out sometime after dinner. Maybe even after midnight. Too bad I hadn't thought to use one of the rooms upstairs.

Groaning, I splashed water over my face, then vigorously toweled it dry, thinking about what that other, long haired, beautiful man had said. What did he mean, that before I was self-sufficient, but now that I was awakened, I was just a 'babe in the woods?' Squinting at my reflection in the mirror, I made a face. What the hell did _that_ mean, "awakened?" And gads - I hadn't regressed, I wasn't an infant - what was he talking about? Why didn't anyone ever just _TELL _me these things?

I heard discreet rapping on the powder room door. "Sally? Are you coming out?"

Feh. Now I had to leave. "Yes, Wufei, I'll be right out."

* * *

The moment I walked out of the powder room I saw Treize standing next to the entrance in the foyer, speaking quietly with Forester. The Special spoke softly and gestured toward the side of the property. Treize took something out of his pocket and handed it to Forester. Both men studied it, Forester pointing something out, then pulled back respectfully while Treize took the paper and studied it. 

Wufei and I glanced at each other. He looked as if he was bursting to say something to me.

"Dinner is served," one of the Specials announced from the dining room.

Treize looked up. "Ah, good - Sally, Wufei! Please go in and have a seat - I will join you in just a moment." He smiled and nodded to us, then turned his attention back to Forester, pointing out several spots on the paper and obviously giving careful instructions. Forester listened intently and nodded.

Wufei and I turned, walked into the dining room and found our places at the table. Silently, I sat down and studied my plate. I wasn't looking forward to this particular meal at all.

"Well? Are you going to tell me, or not?" Wufei demanded, sounding completely put out.

Surprised, I glanced up at him. "Tell you - oh, you mean - oh, I'm _sorry_, Wufei, I didn't realize I hadn't said anything yet -"

"No, you didn't. You dashed into the house, then into the bathroom, hardly saying two words to me. And now you're here." He looked peeved. "You didn't _do_ anything, did you?"

I gave him an injured look. "I already told you _no_. I didn't do anything. That thing you heard was the border alarm. Something tried to get IN."

He caught the connotation immediately. "Some_thing? _Not some_one_? Did you see it?" The dragon was staring right at me, over Wufei's head, his gaze like a laser beam.

_OhGODS, Po, you are SUCH an idiot -_

Just as I thought there was no way out, Treize walked into the dining room, smiled at us and took his place at the head of the table. Immediately, Wufei's attention snapped away from me and focused right on Treize, forgetting me completely. Usually, I felt bereft when that happened, but after several weeks of it, I was becoming accustomed to the feeling. Today, though, I felt slightly relieved that he had somewhere else to direct his attention.

"I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting so long. There were simply a few necessary details I needed to clear up before dinner. May I serve you, Wufei? Sally?"

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair. I was surprised; shocked, in fact. Treize did NOT trot me out like the prize bull, all set for slaughter. I braced myself for the inevitable question - "So, Sally, did you see anything interesting on your walk this afternoon?" - but he never asked. And if he wasn't going to bring it up, neither was I. It was the two ton elephant in the corner of the room that we tacitly agreed not to discuss. Treize made light conversation, talking about the weather, local politics - everything BUT what had happened. Somehow, that made it worse. 

After the dessert dishes had been whisked away, Treize nodded pleasantly to Wufei and me and said, "Would you accompany me to the upstairs library, please? I'm having our tea sent up there, as well. Wufei, I know you have some studying you wanted to do - and Sally, I don't believe you were finished with your hierarchy, were you?"

"Um ... no, Treize, I wasn't ..."

I pushed away from the table and followed them upstairs, to yet another surprising quirk of the Khushrenada household - everyone who was a permanent member studied _something_, no matter what. I wouldn't have minded so much, except that this revelation came at a particularly bitter time for me. After I 'returned,' Treize and I had a little discussion about household matters:

_"... so, unfortunately, Sally, there are consequences to every action, no matter how well-intentioned or how reasonable they seem to you at the time. Running from Une was ill-advised, even though you felt you had no choice ..."_

_ ... gads, will this never end? ... good grief, my father didn't even lecture me this much -_

_"...and as for the CAR -" He paused for a moment to insure he had my full attention, then looked me straight in the eye. "Sally Anne Poe, there is no excuse for thievery. You were not in fear for your life, you were not protecting Wufei, you were not in a war - you were simply **not thinking**. And that will not happen again."_

_I felt terribly guilty; I couldn't even protest. He had me, and he knew it. How did he get into my head so completely? I dropped my gaze to the floor, loathe to look at him any longer. _

_ Can we please get PAST the guilt trip and get to the damn point? I GOT it, all right? I wasn't supposed to__STEALthecar, okay? Okay. Blah, blah, blah ... _

_" ... the local police are pressuring me to give them some kind of reassurance that this type of incident won't reoccur, Sally. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that this is the only thing that will satisfy them and the media in the long run, and ..."_

_ ... no. He can't be saying - no, ohGODSno - is he saying he's - he's - GROUNDING me? _

_I stared at him. Slack-jawed. In complete and total shock. _

_"Wait. I - I can't - LEAVE? You - you're - GROUNDING me?" _

_He chucked. "Well, yes. I suppose I am."_

That had been three weeks ago. There was no end in sight to that punishment, either, not for me. I was permitted to walk around in the house and on the grounds, escorted, and that was it. While there, Treize allowed me the freedom to do what I wanted, as long as I devoted the requisite amount of time to my studies - which, at this point, were also proscribed by him.

_"You may go anywhere on the property you wish, Sally, but you must obey the Specials at all times. They are concerned with your safety. I trust them implicitly."_

_What the hell did he think I was going to DO, fall in a hole? For pity's sake, did I NEED a guard dog yapping at my heels every second of the day? _

_"And for your studies, at this point you need to familiarize yourself with - how shall I say this? your 'new' world. To that end, I have set up a small course that will assist you in understanding, in part, what will be in store for you. Wufei is reading through this, and other, books. Please, Sally - ask questions."_

_I just looked at him, expressionless. _

_Oh, joy. My new life. I couldn't wait. I hated it already. And I hated him. _

_He smiled and stroked my head. _

_"You will be all right, Sally. It's a lot of information to take in at once."_

Three weeks later we were all upstairs in the library, one happy dysfunctional family. Wufei certainly looked the part of the scholar - glasses on his nose, peering into an old, dusty tome, the dragon wrapped around his shoulders and stuck right inside the book with him. Treize was seated next to him in a comfortable chair, sprawled out, reading. I was curled up in an overstuffed armchair with a large reference book on my left and my laptop on my right, ready to finish a small project.

For my own amusement, I kept a small diary on my laptop. I had been, and still was, desperately unhappy, but at least now I thought I had a handle on it. Idly I flicked through my entries, reading them before I made today's entry and finished my project.

_**Confinement, Day 1**: Incredibly boring. Nothing going on. Watched vidfeed. Actually wrote down what the feed said. Here it is. Morons._

_"And this is the same type of car that the notorious Sally Po stole when making her bid for freedom the other day. We can only speculate what was in the commando's mind as she jimmied open the car's locking mechanism with a scalpel and drove it through France, possibly toward the spaceport at Charles deGaulle International.."_

_Feh. Treize laughed when he saw it._

_**Confinement, Day 2**: More of same. I'm not watching the vidfeed anymore. Started walking Jack in the morning and afternoon. Will probably add an evening walk, too, if the weather's good. Boring, boring, boring. Wufei's fine._

**_Confinement, Day 3:_**_ I hate Treize. Added Jack's evening walk. 'Bumped' into Une. She spilled her tea. Heh._

_**Day 4**: Studying in the morning is better than studying in the afternoon. Reading at night is good. Jack is cute. Life is ... well. _

_**Day 5**: I now have a Nursery Guard Dog. His name is Forester. Apt, since he's stationed in the forest. At least he likes dogs. _

_**Day 6**: Wufei and I never really talk anymore. ;; _

_**Day 7:** Jack found Une in the back garden this afternoon. Then I found them together. Hee:D  
__Had a quiz today, but I think I did okay. ... Oh gods. I can't believe I just WROTE that. _

_**Day 8**: ... bad day all around. not even worth mentioning. _

_**Day 9**: Jack and I 'discovered' Wufei and Treize in the rose garden.  
__Note to self: Stay away from any paths with arbors. Walk the perimeter of the property. Much better for sanity. __  
Started research project tonight. Gee. That was ... fun. --_

_**Day 10:** Une stopped by. She stayed about two hours. Usually, her visits are shorter. She actually might be allergic to Jack. I think we need more research. :D_

I closed the diary; I didn't need to rehash my emotional state for the last couple of weeks, I had already lived it. Sighing, I opened my document on the laptop and then thumbed the reference book open to the correct page.

_Well, who knows. I could finish this ... it might distract me. _

Classification of non-humans into various categories actually helped me break down this new "system" into manageable parts, especially since I was able to use the human biological model. The sing-song of 'kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species!' ran around in my brain every time I looked at these books. Why the original authors neglected to use something that simple to organize their data was a mystery to me. They didn't even leave a table of contents or an index to help their readers.

_Because they weren't human, of course. They decided THEIR way was MUCH better. Humans were stupid, if you didn't catch the drift. _

That was the subtext with every book I handled;.humans were stupid, non-humans were superior. I kept my opinions to myself as I read, tried to bury them somewhere else every time I came across a particularly onerous passage, and kept on going. Categorizing, cataloging ... I had been working about forty minutes when it struck me, as I examined the illustration of a particularly grisly vampire, that at least something in this library probably held a picture of a man that came close to the one who accosted me earlier that day. Hmmm. Maybe even _this_ book. I hadn't looked through it completely ...

I sat up a little straighter and glanced first at Treize, then at Wufei. They both appeared engrossed in what they were reading. So far, so good. Then I started to leaf through the illustrations, rejecting those that were obviously not a match and examining others closely where the comparison was close. Nothing, though. There was nothing in this book that was a match.

Well, okay. That only meant that I needed the next volume. I set the book aside, hopped out of my chair and walked over to the shelves, craning my neck, looking up at the top.

"Do you need some help?"

Treize was right behind me, so close that if I backed up I would have stepped on him. I started, then looked up at him, blinking.

"Ah ... well, yes, in fact I do. I need that book, right there ..." I pointed at the top shelf. He reached for it and easily tugged it out, then handed it to me with a smile.

"There you go, Sally."

"Thanks," I said, wiggling around him to get back to my seat, my face flushing. Getting that close to him, even now, was disconcerting. That, plus knowing I hadn't told him about this afternoon, was enough to send my pulse racing. I hated feeling guilty.

"Quite all right," he murmured. "Let me know if you need something else."

"Okay," I said, not looking up. Wufei glanced over in my direction once, then fixed his gaze back into his book again, dismissing the rest of the world.

This volume was old, but its illustrations were excellent. It was the same as the other, though - no table of contents, no index. With my laptop on the table, I left the book in my lap and slowly turned each page, examining both the drawing and the caption, until I saw the exact image of the man who spoke to me. I couldn't believe it - it was _him_, in every detail - his beautiful blonde hair, his piercing blue gaze and his pointed ears. My hand traced over the picture, barely brushing his outline. The caption read _Mountain Elf. _

"Is he the one, Sally?"

I gasped and started badly. Treize leaned over me and put his hand on my shoulder. At first, he looked at the illustration, but then he tilted his head and glanced at me, his blue gaze speaking volumes.

Swallowing, I removed my hand very slowly from the image and brought it down to the bottom of the page, glanced up at him, then down at the book. My face was uncomfortably hot. Again. "Well ... it's ... ah ..."

"Sally." Before I knew it, Treize was sitting next to me, his arm around my shoulder, very comforting. "I know you had a scare today, but you need to talk about it. Especially with both Wufei and me. We need to know what happened, so we can protect you. All right?"

I absolutely hated it when he adopted his this-is-so-reasonable-you-need-to-agree-with-me tone; if I didn't agree with him, I'd sound like a complete moron. Now Wufei's interest was piqued, not only because he heard his name, but because my name, the word "scare" and the word "protect" were mentioned in the same sentence. Wufei closed his book and moved closer, frowning. "What's this? What's going on?"

"Sally's going to tell us what really happened today," Treize said, calmly rubbing the back of my shoulders. "Aren't you, Sally?"

_I hate you, Treize, I really hate you for doing this, you didn't NEED to do this - _

"I ... I ... yes. I am," I said, unenthusiastic, glaring at Treize. "It - well - that sound was the border alarm -"

"Yes, I can explain that. But who is this?" Treize probed gently, pointing at the man in the illustration, prompting me to put the book on the table between us.

Wufei pulled his chair over to get a better look, turning his head to the side, frowning.

_You may hate me, Sally, but lying is a bad habit. I won't have you lying to me, to Wufei or to yourself about anything that happens in this household. If you won't talk voluntarily, then I must find another way, mustn't I? _

I drooped. "He's - well." I took a deep breath, then started. "There was a man who spoke to me - today - after Special Forester left to do his rounds. I saw him when I stopped to look out at the street. He didn't seem harmful -"

"He _spoke_ to you? He saw you through the trees, and he _spoke_ to you?" Wufei fairly exploded and was nearly out of his chair and across the table at me. "Woman, do you realize what _danger_ you were in, what danger you _put_ yourself in? Where was Forester?"

"Steady, dragon, sit down. Let her speak."

I was taken aback at the vehemence of his outburst. "Wufei - wait, please. Forester was there, just - ahead of me. First of all, this man was across the street. Secondly, the only thing he did was _wave_ and say hello. _Then _he told me that all he wanted to do was see me and confirm that the rumors were true."

A different expression, one I hadn't seen before, crossed Wufei's face as he sank back into his chair and processed what I said. "Rumors?" He blinked a little as he stared at me. "What rumors?"

"Well, exactly! That's what _I_ asked him. And he said - " It took me a moment to recall his exact words - "he said - he said the rumors were about me. Me, can you believe it? That I was _famous_," I said, with a little unbelieving snort. "He said, 'you're the human who can see our kind - the one who interacts with demons, the one who guards a dragon princeling. There hasn't been someone like you for millennia.'"

Wufei's gaze was piercing. "And he was across the street when he - said - this to you. And no one else heard him. Except you."

"Well, yes, that's - true ..." I looked back at Wufei, and realized what I had inadvertently told him, and Treize, about myself. And, I suppose, about this man. Elf. Whatever. ARGH.

Tea had been set out for us. I grabbed my cup and took a long, healthy swig. Fortunately, it was black tea, strong and bracing. It would have been even better with a shot of bourbon in it.

"What else, Sally?" Treize's voice was gentle, but insistent.

Oh, FEH. I sighed. "There was - I saw - a flash of color - and then this man was on the walk in front of the property, on our side of the street. He told me he was here just to see me, not to steal me."

Wufei's eyes had narrowed. "Oh? Is that all?" His voice had a dangerous edge.

"Um .. yes. He said ... that even if he wanted, he couldn't take me. That the combination of the fence and Jack would scare most - most things off."

"Not him, apparently. He was still _there_."

"Dragon - _please."_

"Well ... he also told me I was 'very new.'" I turned to Treize, puzzled. "What does that mean, 'very new?' I'm not - "

"Mmm. I'll explain later. Go on."

_GRAH. _"I - I didn't believe him when he said someone might want to steal me. I thought he was kidding. I mean, if there's anyone to steal around here, it's Wufei, not me, right?" I gestured toward stony-faced Wu, who didn't find that amusing at all. "Really. He's - he's the one that's valuable. Who am I, after all? Well, when I said that, he just smiled and started asking me questions, but they were questions he already knew the answers to."

"Like what?"

I blushed fiercely. "Oh, you know, things like, 'how often do you walk outside alone?' Well, I _don't_, and I told him so. And then he said, 'ah, the Specials - they aren't terribly human, are they?' - of course they aren't human, _anyone_ can see that."

"Not quite anyone, but do go on." Treize covered a small smile.

"Then he said, 'They also steer you clear of the edges of the property, places like this, don't they?' - and I told him it depended on how much time we had outside." Treize raised his eyebrow, but I plowed on. "Anyway, that's when he said that even though I was self-sufficient before I was awakened, now I was just a babe in the woods. And before I could even ask him what he meant, he had _jumped_ clear across the fence and was pressed up right NEXT to my side. I was so shocked, I couldn't move. He was on the wrong side for Jack to bite. And - and - and he was gone before I even had the chance to scream. Then the alarm went off, and Forester found me, and ... well ... that's the story." I finished, looking down at the book in my lap.

Strong fingers were under my chin, lifting it up. "Did he say anything else, Sally?" Treize asked softly

_Can't I keep anything to myself? _"He said - he was giving me some friendly advice not to go near the edges of your property, because ... I would never know who would be waiting there for me."

"...and ...?"

"I won't, Treize. I won't go near the edges. I don't want someone - stealing - me." I shuddered.

"Very good, Sally. And I must say, if one was going to have an admirer, a Mountain Elf is certainly one of the best kind to have. You are fortunate, indeed, in many senses of the word."

_And you, young woman, are also fortunate that I don't restrict your movements to within a three meter radius of this mansion. _

I sat, shocked, cowed, and stared up at Treize. Ohgods no - not that. I couldn't lose that, too. I felt the blood drain from my face.

_Please, Treize. Please. Don't - don't take anything else away from me. I'm sorry. I won't - won't - go there, or look at the street anymore. I just wanted to see outside - _

_I understand, Sally. But you have no idea of the dangers that await you and Wufei 'outside,' as you call it. Your Mountain Elf friend is an anomaly, dear. Most other creatures would have blessed their good luck, ignored the barrier and simply tried to snatch you._

Treize looked from Wufei to me and back again, a speculative gleam in his eye. "I do believe it's time for our first field trip. I had been planning this for later in the month, but really ... there's no reason to delay. And it will be the best way to quash any rumors about either one of you." He reached over and caressed the side of Wufei's face; Wufei, for his part, gave him a melting smile and leaned into it. The dragon bobbed around Wufei's neck, then sinuously twirled around Treize's arm. Wufei sighed, happy, making a soft, beautiful sound.

"Oh. That's - great," I mumbled, averting my eyes. This was only the beginning of something I absolutely didn't want to see. I busily saved the document on my computer, closed all the other open programs then turned the computer off and shut the laptop. Breathing a little faster than normal, I tugged on the power cord and unplugged the machine from the floor. I had to get out of there, and I had to do it _now_. Pulling the computer into my lap, I held both the machine and the power cable with both hands, and pushed my chair back from the table.

"If - if you'll excuse me, Treize," I said, my voice a little shaky, not looking at him, "I'd like to go to my room now, please. I can finish my paper there. And then - and then I'll take Jack out for his evening walk. A short one, right around the house," I added quickly, glancing up. Didn't want him to think his comment hadn't made an impression, oh, no.

Something else was amiss. He gave me one of his enigmatic looks, the kind that meant I was doing something wrong, but he wasn't going to tell me what that something was.He looked at me, raising one eyebrow with his hand still cupped about Wufei's cheek. Wufei paid no attention; his attention was on Treize, giving him a soft, glowing look.

I took a deep breath, feeling horribly lost and confused. "... p - please?" This time, I _sounded_ lost and confused. _Gods ... why was he doing this to me? What did I do? What's wrong with me? _

His gaze was penetrating, seeing through me and down to my toes. "All right, Sally. Go ahead. We'll talk later."

I escaped as fast as I could.

* * *

Curled in bed, almost asleep, I nearly missed the light rapping on my door. 

"Mmf?" Sleepily, I raised my head off the pillow and turned on my side as Jack pranced back and forth, obviously greeting whomever was standing in the doorway.

"Shhh ... settle, Jack, settle." Treize reached down and pet Jack, then walked over and sat on the edge of my bed. "Are you awake, Sally?"

"Umm ... dunno ...aaaahhh..."

"Mmmhmm." His face partially in shadow, Treize reached over and stroked me, from the crown of my head down to the bottom of my chin ... and aaaaaaaaah, that felt so tingly, and just so _gooood._

"I was worried about you, Sally. You are much too incautious for your own good. We were extremely fortunate that it was an Elf, and not a demon, that found you today. Elves are curious creatures - they love anything unique. They especially love healers, because that's what they are. And that's what you are, too, Sally Po. You're one of the rarest types of healers in this world."

"Mmmmm..." That was all I could say. In fact, I was lucky to say _that_. I scooted a little closer to him, hoping that he'd take the hint and rub my back, too.

Treize chuckled and kept petting me, long strokes that extended down the middle of my back. Ah, that felt just _fine._

"But I'm not going to lose you, Sally Po, simply because you have a stubborn streak and you're undisciplined." Now he was stroking my back with long, calming strokes, mesmerizing in their sameness and intensity, something that turned my muscles to liquid and my brain to mush. "First, we're going to stop at a clothier and a jewelry shop for some necessities, and then we'll take our field trip. After that, I think you'll be more inclined to stay closer to home. And we'll work on your other - shall we say - 'weak points' - as we go. What do you think?"

"Mmmmmm..."

"Good girl. Get some sleep." He leaned down and kissed my ear, smoothed back my hair and patted my cheek again.

_And there's nothing wrong with you, silly thing - but you will need to get used to affection, and people showing affection._

I had nothing to say. Sleep had claimed me, and I only remembered feeling happy, safe and protected. Sort of ... a bronze color.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

**Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 9**

* * *

I was dreaming again, dreaming in that strange, halfway place I haunted while I slept. It was odd, knowing that you were asleep, and knowing you were walking while you were dreaming. I put one foot in front of the other, experimentally, peering into the grayness of sleep, and thought about the nature of my dreams. 

Now, they were all the same. Before I met Treize, though, my dreams were different.

I used to look up, and the sky would turn colors - deep indigo slashed with yellow, pale violet that shimmered with silver, colors that were breathtaking and vivid and, at times, frightening. Sometimes the air felt sensual, twining around my body, caressing and smooth. Other times, though, a bitterly cold wind would swirl from nothing and slap my face, then sear my lungs with its frigid breath; or an odd, clingy fog would appear around my legs and the air would turn thick, humid and dank, moist as the jungles of Yunnan. There were times, too, as I wandered through dream forests dappled with sunshine that the sky would darken and the sun disappear; suddenly raw, sulfurous heat would blast face and fog would boil about my feet. As I ran, panting and screaming from that place, tree roots would snatch at my legs and ankles, trying to pull me back.

_What in hell is this? What's happening? _

Once, they nearly had me; I lost my balance and pitched forward, fear leading the way. Headfirst, my arms braced to take the brunt of my weight, I was tensed for the worst, but I never hit the ground. It was as if the maw of the earth swallowed me; having no choice, I fell headfirst into the gaping ground, tumbling into dirt and rocks and plant roots and insects. Fear, oh so much fear as I fell _what the hell is **happening** to me?_ for what felt like hours, every stone and thick root slapping and bruising and punishing. I tumbled for hours, screaming, scared to death I'd never stop.

_Gods please please I don't want to die get me out of here please get me out of here I want to be somewhere safe and quiet and beautiful please please -_

_blink_

... and suddenly I stood in a tiny cul-de-sac outside a quiet, well-kept suburban home, in a place I didn't recognize. It was a soft summer night. A light breeze caressed my neck and shoulders, rustling the leaves on the trees and shrubbery, making them sigh. The sounds of crickets and owls whirred quietly in the background. The moon was out; I looked down, and saw my shadow on the lawn, tall and thin. Calmness and peace radiated about me. I was stunned into silence for many moments, unable to think of a single thing.

_But ... wha- ... where ...? _

The moment the question ghosted across my mind, the landscape changed. Rank foul air, where every lungful was an effort and every moment pregnant with danger and disease slapped me in the face - and I was seated next to a squid-like creature who was holding my arm and pointing to a weird little scene playing out in front of us, on the other side of a large Plexiglass window.

_"See that, my dear? All humans react that way, once flippers are attached to their appendages. Notice the sinuous movement of the torso? That would be in appreciation of ..."_

All at once I had become a voyeur, watching horrid creatures act out bizarre rituals with average-looking humans - and I felt like a traitor, unable to do anything except nod as one of those creatures provided commentary. _AUGH._

After one of those dreams, I wondered what on earth I ate that made my brain implode.

I never spoke to anyone about those dreams, mostly because there was no one I could tell, no one I really trusted. My officers would have put it down to stress or poor digestion - or, as the war progressed, that my mind cast OZ as those awful creatures. Had I told Wufei about my dreams, he might have tried to interpret them; but at the time I didn't want to worry him. Now, I'm glad I didn't - he would have simply told Treize.

_Treize has already torn everything away from me that he possibly could have. Unless he wants to rip the thoughts right out of my head, he can't have my dreams. My dreams are my own. Mine. Not his. MINE. _

...but I wanted to know what they meant. My dreams, those dreams, weren't normal, not even for non-humans. I thought I was dreaming about creatures that were real, in the non-human realm, but creatures I hadn't yet met or seen. For some reason, I was able to "connect" with them while I slept. _That_ was not a comfortable thought.

Those dreams stopped when I was in close proximity to Wufei; when we lived together in the field, and again when Treize put us together. Once Wufei healed to his satisfaction, Treize pulled him away and left me alone. Once that happened, images from my childhood blurted into my consciousness almost immediately. While Treize harped with amazing regularity how I was a 'balance' for Wufei, apparently precious little research had been done about what kind of balance Wufei was for _me._

Well, fuck him with whipped cream and cherries. I'll just find out on my _own_, thank you very much. _Jerk._

There was a link between how I dreamed now and how I dreamed when I was younger - but whatever it was, I couldn't figure it out. Sad, desultory, I wished, not for the first time, that my father was alive. He would have been able to explain this oddness; and I would have had someone on my side.

_" ... but Daddy - Daddy, I can move in dreams ... I'll come visit you! I visit other people too, Daddy, lots of people. I see them when I dream."_

_"I know you will, princess -"_

- but he wasn't there. I needed to talk to someone, and soon.

_...it's unfortunate, you know, but the only person you can talk to is Treize. Swallow your pride and talk to him. He will help you._

I hated my little annoying voice. _Fuck off**. Shut. Up. Now**. I don't **want** to talk to him. He won't help me. He will only help himself. He won't tell me the truth. I don't believe him._

_Did he kill you? No. Did he maim you? No. Has he hit you or chained you when you've become unbearable? No. Other owners would have. You aren't that amusing. Ask._

'Other **owners**.' Oh gods. My little voice was nothing except horribly, mercilessly accurate. ..._argh. Just ... shut up and go away. _

Since my recapture everything about my life, including my dreams, had changed. Those vivid, swirling colors had been replaced with a hazy, monochromatic gray that was pleasant but oh so dull. My wandering only took me so far; I didn't fall through the floor anymore, but I couldn't find the way out. I was forsaken, alone, the girl in the gray gilded cage with only a sleeping Wufei for company. He never woke in my dreams. I was as isolated here as I was in the real world.

_I'm stuck. Jailed. Imprisoned in my own mind, locked inside my head. Who would ever believe me? _

And so tonight I walked while I dreamed, my feet padding over smooth tile, expecting to see nothing except the same, soft, off-black color of sleep. As I wandered, though, I knew - I felt - something was different. A small tongue of golden yellow light reached out to lick my toes, darting out from the grayness like a shy dragon's tongue. Hardly believing my eyes, I stopped and blinked, waiting, then saw it again, flickering at my toes, playing with my feet. Then all at once multiple tongues of flame folded over my arches and twined together, creating a warm glow that cradled my feet, licked my ankles and sent golden bronze rays curling up my legs.

I was so startled I backed away and kicked a little at the light, not believing what I saw. _What - what on earth -_

Without warning, the floor turned a smoky gold-bronze and started to vibrate. Immediately, I felt a pleasant, warm something buzz through the soles of my feet and slide up into my calves, turning my legs to water.

_...oh, WOWaughhhhhhhhh..._ everything felt so GOOD_...bliss..._

And then I heard - or did I feel? - the low murmur of masculine voices just meters ahead of me.

_" - come now, Trei, you know that just about everything with a pulse felt you call that dragon. Now people are simply looking for confirmation that he is what you've said he is." _

_" - Janus - "_

Perplexed, I looked down. That wonderful, nearly-orgasmic feeling was gone - and then I saw light spilling out of the floor, about a meter or so away from me and heard Treize's and another man's voice coming from that direction.

Wait. Light coming out of the floor? Like ... a window ... in the **_floor?_** And I was hearing voices through my **_feet?_**

You're kidding, Po. Windows into your dreams, and hearing voices through your feet? That's simply too weird -

But it was true, at least partly. Stretched out in front of me was a flat skylight, a transom, a transparent eye peering into another room - which, for all I knew, was someone else's dream, in someone else's mind.

_Like ... _and I intentionally stopped thinking at that point. I didn't want to know.

Quietly sliding over to the window, I hesitantly pressed my hands on the ... glass? It felt cool, like glass, but it wasn't glass. Once I touched it, the sound vibrations from the room below came straight through it, into my palms and immediately into my mind. I knew everything that was said without being in the room, without anyone knowing I was there. Literally, I was the fly on the wall. My gaze devoured everything as I listened through my hands.

* * *

I could only see the top of Janus's curly head and his arms as he sat in an overstuffed chair across from Treize. Both men were in a small library, two gentlemen taking their brandy in a civilized manner after a long day. From the ceiling, Janus's body looked a lot like Treize's; long, well muscled, very masculine. His hair was dark and curly, with shots of gray through it. I thought I saw the hint of a beard on the side of his face when he spoke. 

"Trei, I understand. But you know who you're dealing with, ne? You know how terminally bored these creatures are. When you called the dragon, you literally dropped into their consciousness at the same time, completely out of the blue. You. Not Isis, or Loki, or even Apollo, but you. Didn't you think a natural consequence would be everyone's undying curiosity?"

Treize groaned. Janus chucked. My stomach flipped as I remembered what Trowa showed me.

"Ah, you understand. Of course, not only do they wish to see the dragon, they wish to see you with your rumored Guardian."

Treize tilted his head and gave Janus one of his, "oh, DO go on" expressions.

"My friend, you must know that the current rumor circulating is that not only do you eat Gorgon babies, you also kill Guardians. As this female is presumably a Guardian and still alive, people have surmised that you're waiting to rend her limb from limb in public - for their entertainment and yours, of course. Rather like you did to that poor Fate so many years ago."

Treize took a large drink from a brandy snifter filled with an amber colored liquid. "Oh, then if that's the case, I'm afraid they'll be waiting quite a long time."

"Is that so?" Janus quirked an eyebrow in his direction.

"Yes, it is. In fact, you should tell Isis and her friends that this situation is exactly like the one in which she found herself - "

I had no idea I was holding my breath until I exhaled, rather noisily, missing the gist of what he said next. I did heard Janus laugh at his remark.

" - but I'm not sure she'll understand that reference," Janus said, grinning.

"That's not my problem." With a sigh, Treize looked back at the other man and tilted his head, grimacing a little. "It's - complicated. First, this Guardian's pure - an exact match for my Dragon. They bonded before he found me."

Janus made a little snorting noise of disbelief. Treize shrugged and sipped his drink.

"It doesn't matter what you believe," he murmured quietly. "They did, which is fortunate. Theirs is the kind that's natural and will last their lifetime. It is no more and no less than what her line was designed to do - one and only one Guardian for each and every Dragon of his Clan. Each matched according to the strength and ability of the Dragon they were bred to serve. They are perfect for each other."

I blinked and tried to assimilate that. _The ... what? bred to serve?... why ...?_

"I'm not following. If they're bonded and that was planned, then what's the problem?"

There was a short silence. "Hn. Well. At this point, I'm teaching my Dragon the rudimentary elements of what it means to be with me. We have only just progressed to his being with me in public."

Janus laughed. "Hah. Only because someone is insanely jealous and hasn't formally presented this Dragon to us for ...mmm, let's see ... how many weeks has it been? Three? or four? or maybe even five? Admit it, Trei, you just don't know how to share!"

Horrified, I sat above them, hardly breathing. A beat passed as I waited, expecting Treize to blast that man to hell and back for his incredible impertinence. If I had ever dared say anything like that to Treize, you can be sure my head would have been handed to me, along with a cuff to remind me not to make observations like that in the future. Treize's actual response was much more mild. His glare would have melted steel. I shrank back.

"Oh, do get a sense of humor, Trei. Honestly - after all this time, you still can't admit to your little foible? Please. It's so obvious."

That frosty look hadn't lost its potency. "As I said - I'm teaching my Dragon how to be with me both alone and in pubic. That takes time, you know. He needs to understand his place with us."

Janus watched Treize, his manner as casual as his glance was alert. "So teach him! He's a pet, my friend, nothing more. Oh come now, these Dragons always put you in a mood, you know. You allow yourself to get too involved with your playthings."

"He is the last one, Janus. I was extremely fortunate that he found me"

"All right, all right, Trei, I understand." He took a sip of his drink before continuing. "But I know you, old man. That's not what's on your mind. Let's have it. What's really bothering you?" He grinned at Treize, an expression that said volumes, nodding his head. "You'll feel better, you know."

Treize sighed. "I enjoy humans, Janus, you know that. This female, though ... is a little different than most. Her background belies her character."

"Indeed? I was given to understand she was quite the revolutionary, a bold little fighter. Sounded impressive for a human female to me. Rather brazen, in fact."

"For a human, I agree," Treize replied. "However, even given all that, she's really quite the innocent, more so than any other Guardian I've had. She's never been properly socialized, believe it or not. I must proceed slowly."

Scowling, I pushed harder on the glass_. What? What does he mean, an innocent? Not been socialized? What the hell is he talking about? . _

"Oh, come now, Trei, she's not a savage, surely! And innocent or not, some say your timetable is much too slow."

"Let me see if I can guess who 'they' are," Treize interrupted dryly.

"The usuals. The same ones who whine and complain now moan that 'Trei keeps the best scraps for himself,' et cetera, et cetera. Today they whisper that 'Trei's snatched a human female who's unique, a saint, and anankha' - and that's set everyone off."

There was a long, stretched silence. Treize's gaze drilled into Janus until the other man threw up his hands in mock surrender. "Now, now, Trei, don't kill the messenger," he said, laughing. "I'm only telling you what's being said. You decide what you want to do about it. "

"I know that. And you know I don't kill messengers."

Janus chuckled good-naturedly, brushing off Treize's narrowed gaze. "Heh. I wouldn't be in your shoes, now or ever. You and your dragons! They're pretty, all right, but so much trouble. I'd rather have - eh, well, you know my preferences." Changing the direction of the conversation, he took a sip of his drink and said, "At least now you can take steps so that this one won't be your last, yes? And you've even got the line for the caretaker built in. That's a bonus, isn't it?"

"Yes, of course. But at this point, the boy is just learning, and skittish, so he isn't ready for company just yet."

I sat back and stared through the transparent floor at the men below me, shocked, not quite believing what I just heard.

_Wait. What? Hold on_ ...My mind churned, turning over the myriad possibilities. It made perfect sense ... seen from Treize's perspective, of course, taking the long view, looking hundreds or thousands of years into the future ...

_AUGH_ ... this dragon won't be his last? Not his LAST? Why, that means ... that means ... and I would be ...

He was going to have sex with Wufei's son, or daughter, or any of his progeny, just as my son, or daughter, or any of my progeny were going to be their guardians.

My hands shook. I thought I was going to get physically ill.

* * *

The murmured voices floated up to me. I could still see what the men were doing, nodding and talking to each other, sipping their drinks. 

Gads. He ... he would. He would be kind to me, kind to Wufei, and then - and then go have sex with Wufei's children. He's - there's - no moral dichotomy for him. He doesn't see a problem with it at all. Not at ALL. He - he's just - amoral, inhuman. Just completely inhuman.

Now my snide inner voice decided to resurface. Of COURSE he is, moron. He told you and Trowa told you. Don't you listen?

Forcing myself back to the window, I touched it again with both hands, completely reluctant, feeling as though my entire ethical code had been violated.

" - others won't care at all as long as they get what they want. Speaking of which, a mutual acquaintance asked me to deliver a request to you. Regarding the Guardian."

Treize nodded, sounding weary. "Ask"

"Two things. First, he said that he's seen the woman - "

Treize snorted and shook his head. "Of course he has. So has everyone else. She was difficult to miss, standing like a beacon at the edges of my property. But I digress. Go on, please."

I blinked and swallowed, mortified, then leaned closer to the glass. _... um ... I ...oh, GAH ... _

" - heh. Yes - well, he said it's obvious that she's a virgin - "

"Indeed - "

I blanched and felt something shiver inside me. _How - how can something like that be **obvious?**_

" - and because of - these are his words, mind - 'the enormous power stored within the virginal blood of a saint' - he authorized me to broker a deal with you for her blood. Terms to be named by you, of course, contingent upon his final approval."

Treize threw back his head and laughed, then rubbed the side of his face with his hand, shaking his head. "Is that right? I wondered how long it would take until someone asked. How nice. Very well - please, continue."

Janus chuckled, sipped his drink and nodded. "He said there were other points to consider, since she did belong to you. Just logistical considerations, mind. Whether you wanted to take her and send him the blood; or, if you wanted to assert your right, but permit him to collect the blood immediately afterwards; or, if he could negotiate with you to take her himself and collect the -"

_**LOGISTICAL** CONSIDERATIONS? WHAT THE FUCK -? _

I stopped listening, flung myself off the glass like grease from a hot griddle and scuttled, crablike, across the phantom floor as fast as I could, feeling lightheaded and giddy and scared oh GODS just so scared. This was insane, awful, a bad dream, a nightmare, the king of nightmares and there was no way out -

SMACK

_Ohgods, there was no way out._ I hit the back of the room, bounced back a little and lurched to my feet, my mind chanting _no way out no way out no way - _

" - Janus - did you - "

_- insane NO! there has to be a way out NONONO! there HAS to be a way out HAS to be HAS TO BE - _

_Sally?_

Treize's voice - so calm, so clear - dropped into my head and stopped me cold. I froze, staring into nothingness, praying I was completely invisible.

...ehhh ... whaaaat...?...

_Ahhh. Come here, Sally. Come to Me_.

I looked around and saw the light in the floor again, so pretty, so inviting. It tugged at me, pulled me right over to the edge, right to him. Reluctant, I dragged myself to the light, knelt down and peeked through, my heart pounding, thoroughly frightened. Treize smiled up at me, very calm, very centered, his eyes so, so blue. He didn't seem angry or surprised. I leaned down for a closer look.

And then somehow, the floor ... wasn't there anymore. I found myself leaning precariously into the room, terrified, trying not to pitch in headfirst, my hair falling all over the place. Treize and his bearded friend were right underneath me; they exchanged glances then looked up, Treize with his penetrating blue gaze, Janus with his dark enigmatic gaze.

"T - Treize?"

"There you are," he said, reaching up, his smile warm. "I have you. No need to panic, little one."

He put one arm around my shoulders and swept me into his arms, catching my legs just under the knees. Automatically, my hands reached around his neck and I rested my head against his chest. I could feel his heartbeat, slow and regular, right through his shirt; and he was warm, and smelled clean and spicy and familiar, so much so that my apprehension started to melt away. At the same time, I felt a gentle, low throbbing surround me that was so good, so comforting, soft and pulsing. My muscles relaxed on their own; I pushed and tried to snuggle a little closer to Treize. He shifted to accommodate me, then turned back to his friend_. Ahhhhh..._

My annoying voice decided it was time to poke at me. _You must remember what they were discussing before you 'dropped in,' Po. It was important. There are freedom issues you have to sort out._

What ...? _Yeah. Sure. Some other time, okay? Like - umm .. later...?_

My alter ego sounded totally exasperated. _Are you KIDDING? Someone offered to buy your virginity AND your blood, and Treize and his friend treated it as if they were only ordering coffee with extra cream and sugar. Doesn't that tell you something important? Like maybe you're free to choose some things but not others? You need to THINK - _

That throbbing feeling intensified; I sighed and relaxed completely against Treize. _Shut up and go AWAY. I'll think about it later. _

"Well, well, well," Janus said softly, watching me with a little smile. "And who is this, as if I couldn't guess?"

I drew closer to Treize, forgetting all about my little voice, alarmed. Janus chucked, watching me.

"Now, now, Sally. Permit me to introduce you. Janus, this is Sally Po, Chang Wufei's Guardian. Sally, this is Janus Divomdeus, one of my oldest friends."

"H - hello," I said, hesitant, staring back at Janus. I still had a death grip on Treize's neck.

Janus smiled and nodded at me. "How do you do, Sally Po," he murmured. "It's an honor to meet you. One meets so few human dreamwalkers these days." He slid an amused glance at Treize. "Especially those that happen to be saints and anankha, eh, Trei?" He reached out and did something around my shoulder that sent shivers all through me, from my head through my toes.

I wriggled and closed my eyes for a few seconds in pure, blissful pleasure. _Oh, YUM_. Whatever he did felt _wonderful_.

"She's very sweet."

"You have no idea, my friend," Treize said above my head, his tone dry.

"Mmmmm ... no, probably not," he rumbled, stepping a little closer, still smiling. "It's been a while since I've kept a human female for company. But just the same, I still think she's charming."

"You have kind eyes," I heard myself blurt out as I watched him. _Where - where did THAT come from? And wow - his eyes ... they're not the same color as Treize's, but they make me feel the same. They're so dark, so intense, so powerful - and yow, he hasn't blinked once, not even once, not at all - _

"Do I?" Janus grinned at me, showing perfect white teeth. "That's a wonderfully nice thing to say to someone you've just met, Sally Po."

"Careful, Janus," Treize warned, giving me a little shake. "She's vulnerable. No defenses at all. I don't want her imprinting."

"Ah, of course, I wasn't thinking - "

His shaking rattled my teeth, broke my concentration and interrupted my happy-fuzzy-wow-isn't-life-grand state.

" ...hey ... hey, _stop_ -" I pulled away from Treize and scowled in annoyance, giving him my best glare.

Treize looked down at me in amused exasperation with one eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

My glare wilted and died. I sighed, went limp and rested my head back on his chest. " ... um ... n-nothing ... " _Feh._

He kissed the top of my head affectionately. "Good girl. Now ... I should probably send you back. You don't belong here. Not yet."

"Don't send her back on my account, Trei. Personally, I think she's refreshingly delightful. How odd that no one's ever noticed her before ..." Janus smiled, as one would at an exceptionally bright child. "You are quite a find, Sally Po, did you know that?"

This time I peeked up at Treize before attempting to answer Janus. Treize looked even more amused, if possible, but I felt satisfaction radiating from him in waves. Feeling something like that in my dream was akin to feeling the dragon do its fuzzy head-bump in real life; I felt buzzed and woozy and very, very happy.

_So ... you like to please, do you? Interesting. _The part of my brain that was working heard that and filed it away for later examination.

"Go ahead, Sally," he said gently. "You may answer, if you wish."

"Um ... well ... no. I didn't know that," I murmured, glancing at Janus, feeling shy. "...thank you."

"You're welcome." Janus went back to his armchair and sat down, still smiling, motioning for Treize to do the same. "Polite, well spoken, well bred - she speaks volumes for you, Trei. No wonder so many are envious."

"Yes, but you know they don't see that," Treize replied as he settled both of us into his chair, now inexplicably large enough for two. "She's human. They only see her aura and want to feed. The smart ones would keep her alive, of course, while the others ... well. Enough said."

I was pressed against him, head on his chest, eyes almost closed while he pet me, pulling long, calming strokes from my scalp down my side. His words, though, pushed through my happy buzz and made me shiver. I blinked and looked up, peering into his eyes.

" - what - keep me alive? I don't underst -"

"Hush, Sally." His petting intensified; my eyelids fluttered closed and I sighed, inhaling his scent, leaning against him. "You may stay with me, but you must relax. Do you understand?"

" ...mmm...'kay..."

"Good girl." He sounded amused, and kept petting, which felt oh so nice. Those upsetting feelings of fear and anger had ... gone. Faded. Just disappeared ...

_But ... where ... why ...? _

_Relax, Sally. Let yourself go, and relax. Clear your mind_.

Stubborn, I focused my will and tried to concentrate. I needed to think, remember why I had been angry, afraid -

_There is nothing to fear. You are safe. I will protect and care for you, always. Relax, child, relax. There is no need for such anger_.

- and I couldn't remember. Thinking was hard, hard, just so hard. My mind wouldn't cooperate - everything was so fuzzy - I was warm, safe, my head was heavy, and ... I ... I ...

I groaned. _Feh. Later. Snuggling was so much nicer_.

"She's not trained?" Janus sounded surprised. "Well, well. You certainly have your work cut out for you. You can't leave an untrained dreamwalker wandering around, especially one that's anankha. I can't imagine what would happen, let alone how any Fate would function ..."

I felt Treize's chest rumble before he laughed. "He doesn't function well at all, my friend. That's been his complaint for lo these many months."

"Treize ..."

He massaged the base of my neck, right where it joined my spine, and oh, that just felt _sooo_ good... "Yes, Sally ...?"

The tiny part of my mind that observed and recalled everything was in despair. I couldn't fight feeling good; I was, after all, only human.

"I ... was afraid..." I murmured into his chest. "I heard you talking ..."

"Mmmhmm. So we discovered." Treize sounded amused; his massage was a little less intense, his fingers gentler. "How long were you there, I wonder?"

"I don't know. A long time. It was gray ..."

"Oh?"

I nodded against him. "Uh huh ... just gray, everywhere ... but then I saw gold on the floor. It came up to my toes ... then I was surrounded by light ... light that came from the right ..." I giggled with my eyes closed, feeling dreamy. "I rhymed!"

" - very talented," interrupted Janus, his voice soft and low.

"Quite talented. And you did, didn't you Sally? What else?" Treize sounded deeply amused.

Hesitating only a little, I continued. "Ah ... well ... then light went all the way up my legs through my body, and then there was a weird buzzing through my feet into my legs. Then I felt this huge whoosh through me, and - and - "

" ...and..?" he prompted gently.

I changed my mind about telling him what the whoosh did. " ... and then - I could hear you talking through the floor."

"Could you," Treize murmured, stroking my head. "And what did you hear that made you afraid?"

I had the distinct impression from the tenor of his voice that he knew exactly what had happened to me, from the first buzzing of my feet through the final whoosh through the top of my head. What he was asking, though, was something I wasn't ready to share with him. Not completely, at any rate.

"Um ... I ... different things I didn't ... understand." _Or want to understand._ It was better to speak to his chest, or at least to his side with my eyes closed. I could pretend this was normal and I was going back to sleep.

Long fingers tangled in my hair, massaging my scalp; at the same time, Treize gently turned my face up to his and murmured, "Indeed. Look at me, Sally. I believe I know what frightened you." Giving me a gentle smile, he continued, "There are things that I will speak about that aren't meant for your ears, my dear. What you need to believe now is that you are safe, and that I will always protect you. Do you believe that?"

Gazing into his blue eyes, I realized what he said was true. He was going to protect me, and I would always be safe if I was with him. I nodded. "Yes, Treize. I believe you."

"Good. Very good, Sally. Now it's time for you to go back. Say goodnight to Janus, dear."

I blinked. "Ah ... goodnight, Janus."

"Goodnight, Sally Po. It was a treat to meet a human dreamwalker. I hope to see you again."

Treize's chest rumbled again as he murmured words I couldn't understand. The world turned softly black and I fell from my dreams into a deep, untroubled sleep.

* * *

Something terribly uncomfortable was thumping and shaking me with horrible regularity, up and down, up and down, up and - 

_- wha-?_

"Get up, Sally - come on, get up, it's time to get up - we're going out today, so come on, get up - "

I turned over in bed, groaning. Had I slept at all? And what was this shaking stuff going on? Scrunching my eyes, I glared out from the bedcovers and found Wufei inexplicably shaking my shoulder, looking energetic, of all things, and repeating himself over and over again like a parrot.

"Come on, Sally, come on, rise and shine - !"

"...no, no, I want sleep, 'fei. Sleep. NOT out." I rolled over and presented him with my back. So there. Not going. HAH.

Almost immediately, happy dog breath panted in my face as Jack attacked me, licking my nose and cheeks while Wufei nattered on in the background.

"Right. Uh huh. Go get her, Jack! Come on, Sally, get up, get up - "

"Ew - phwaa! phwaa! Jack - Jack stop, STOP, what're you doing?" I pushed myself up on one elbow and waved my hands in front of my face, pushing my oh-so-loving dog away from me and off the bed, wondering what on earth happened to make both Wufei and Jack go insane simultaneously. "All right, both of you, stop. Stop! Okay? Okay. Now I'm up - happy? Now what?"

"Good boy, Jack." Wufei's expression was smug. "Go take a shower and get dressed. Dress casual. I'll wait for you downstairs. We'll have breakfast together."

There was no rest for the weary. "I'll be down as soon as I can," I sulked, giving a tired glare to Wufei. _Feh._

* * *

The old adage was true - nothing felt better than a shower and fresh clothes. I felt like a new person as I trotted down the steps to breakfast, my snarky mood evaporating, Jack yipping at my heels. And the prospect of breakfast with Wufei put me in a good mood. 

While I was in the bath, I decided to pull my hair back from my face with a white band and let the rest of it drift about my shoulders. Braids took too long - and besides, I felt like something different. Not so different that I wanted to wear anything except dark blue jeans, a light blue tee shirt with short beige boots. That, to me, was casual. If someone else wanted more, then they were damn well going to have to _tell _me.

"Good morning! How are you today?" I was cheerful and happy as I passed Treize's Specials on the stairs, in the foyer and in the dining room on my way to the kitchen. They stared at me as they always did, with suspicious, guarded looks. I could hear them thinking, I wonder what she's plotting this time -

I rolled my eyes. _Nothing, boys. I'm going off premises today. You're safe for_ a while.

"Come in, Sally, come in. You're just in time for breakfast before we leave."

"Ah - leaving..?"

As I wandered into the kitchen, my gaze locked with Treize's and my happy mood started to wilt. He gestured to me to join he and Wufei, and, being the dutiful person I was, I plastered a big, isn't-THAT-nice smile on my face and walked into the room. Wufei was just finishing some fruit and eggs as I slid onto a chair next to him.

"My, that looks good," I said brightly, looking down at his plate, berating myself, wondering why on earth I assumed Wufei was going to eat with only me. _Po ... you are just clueless. Why would he do that?_

"It was good," he corrected me, snatching the last bit of eggs with his chopsticks. "Now YOU eat."

"Yes - I'd like to see that, too," Treize said, sliding a plate of eggs along with a small dish of blueberries and a steaming mug of tea in front of me. "There's just enough time for you to eat. And we'll keep you company, won't we, Wufei?"

"Of course, Treize-sama!"

" ...oh ... you are both too kind ... "

which is how I was coerced into eating much more than usual, Treize smirking in front of me, Wufei giving Treize the most adoring looks on my right. ARGH.

* * *

I was sipping the last of my tea and chasing the last few blueberries around my dish when a Special came to the kitchen door and saluted. He waited patiently until Treize realized he was there, then spoke. 

"Yes, Roberts?"

"The car is ready for your use, sir." He saluted smartly and waited to be released.

Treize nodded. "Excellent. Thank you, Roberts. We will be out in a few minutes."

Roberts turned smartly on his heel and marched away. I glanced over the top of my cup at Wufei, wondering if he knew where we were going. Probably not, I decided; but then, it really made no difference. Sighing, I put my teacup down and examined it, feeling bitter. The earth could have split underneath us and fireballs dropped from the sky and he would not have noticed. His attention, or what was left of it, was fixed on Treize, not on anything else. Treize was his alpha and omega, the one thing in this universe that gave his life meaning. If the fireballs had dropped and Treize had been safe, all would have been well; but had one hair on that man's head been singed, Wufei's attention would have been in the here-and-now, you betcha.

I, on the other hand, would have been fried, no matter which scenario had happened.

" - Sally? May I take your cup?" I felt gentle tugging at the teacup between my hands.

"Of course." I snapped my fingers away from the cup as if they were on springs. I had to endure an entire meal of Treize-adoring and Wufei-touching and groping, which was unpleasant in the extreme. "May I be excused, please? I'd like to take Jack out into the garden before we - "

"There's no need, Sally. I've already assigned someone to see to Jack's needs." Treize smiled cheerfully as he juggled some cookware next to the stove. "But of course you may be excused. Why don't you and Wufei go out front? I believe you'll find Roberts has already brought the limo around, and that Jack is already in the car. I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Fine. Whatever." Without looking at either of them, I pushed away from the counter, slid off my chair and stalked away from the kitchen bar, not bothering to wait for Wufei. Those wonderful endorphins the shower had released? They had dried up, withered and died, all during breakfast.

"Go, Dragon," I heard Treize said softly. "I'll join you in a few moments. Go keep Sally company."

* * *

The limousine in front of the house looked black and hungry for passengers. It was a different vehicle than the car we usually took; it looked longer and a little wider. Shrugging into a black leather jacket from the coat rack, I walked out the front door and down the marble steps, still trying to shake off that lousy feeling from breakfast. There was Wufei, fawning all over Treize, and there was Treize, hanging all over Wufei ... it was just too much. I had had enough. I needed to clear my head, shake it out of my body, get away from them. 

I slung a small black leather purse over my shoulder and headed for the limo. Roberts stood at the door of the limo, holding a squirmy Jack in one hand and Jack's leash in the other.

"Here you are, Miss," he said, handing me both Jack and his leash. My puppy was overcome with delight, panting and wriggling as I took him into my arms.

"Thank you, Roberts. Ooo, look who's happy to see me - it's Jack, isn't it - oh, now, Jack, please - Jack, that's enough! Jack ...!" Laughing, I held him away from my body because the puppy was so wriggly and energetic. He stuck his paws on my shoulders and slobbered on my cheeks and ears in no time flat.

"Did you miss me, little gu-"

Jack yipped, then gave me a big lick right on my nose.

Sputtering, I wiped my nose with one hand while tucking him away with the other. "Okay, Jack, okay - here we go - "

Now with him secure under one arm, I ducked my head and climbed into the limousine. This car was different; the seats were a combination of bucket and bench seats, and there was something quite large in the back. It was easy to climb into this car, too; I scuttled to the far side and made myself comfortable in a large swivel bucket seat next to a window, facing the same way as the driver. There were a number of controls on the seat. Jack was laying at my feet, panting, and I was playing with some of the controls and a headset I found tucked away in a seat pocket when Wufei climbed into the limo.

He looked around for a few moments, then took a seat facing me. Jack sat up and whined a little, then put his paws on Wufei's knees, asking for Wufei to pet him. With a small smile, Wufei reached down and scratched Jack behind the ears. Jack dissolved into a happy lump of puppyflesh right at Wufei's feet.

"You didn't say anything at breakfast." Wufei looked up at me as he rubbed Jack, his statement more a question.

I straightened out the wires to the headset. "I didn't have anything to say. I thought I was having breakfast with just you today. I don't know why."

A dark flush started at Wufei's neck. "I - I don't know why you thought that, Sally - "

"I just said that I didn't know why. I'm sure it was my misunderstanding." _When ISN'T it my 'misunderstanding?'_ I was angry and tired of stuffing my feelings inside my gut all the time. I took a deep breath and looked out the window, trying to calm myself. Get a grip, Po.

"Oh. Sally - I am sorry for that misunderstanding," Wufei said, his voice softer.

I sighed, looking out the window. Go away, Wufei, leave me alone. Leave me some dignity. "It doesn't matter, Wu. We were both there, so technically, we had breakfast together. Don't worry about it." I turned back to him and shook my head. "Like I said - it doesn't matter."

"Mmm - what doesn't matter?" Treize climbed into the limo, his long frame easily curling into a bucket seat to the right of mine. "Wufei, why don't you sit here - ahh, that's good, that's very good - excellent! Now you'll have a good view of the outside, plus you'll be able to see the viewscreens embedded in the middle pod. Sally, you're at an optimum angle as well. There are several parts of our ride that are, to put it mildly, quite dull, so I've brought along some vids that will at lease allow you, if not an educational experience, at least a little entertainment, regarding our destinations."

"Destinations?" I echoed, perplexed. "How many places are we going?"

"Oh, several," Treize responded with a grin. "We'll be away for quite some time. I've already made arrangements for the house and such, and I know the government will run itself in my absence. I've seen to that."

Both Wufei and I stared at him, taken aback. "You've ... what?"

"Oh, yes." Treize grinned broadly at us. "Did you think that we were taking a short day trip into the country today? Oh, good heavens, no." He leaned forward, gave a signal and the door to the limousine closed. Immediately, the vehicle's engine started and we moved away from the curb and headed smoothly into traffic.

"We'll be gone quite a long time, my friends. We have a number of worlds to explore before we come home again!"


	10. Chapter 10

**_Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 10_**

_Previously, in Tapestry, Book 2, Chapter 9... _

"Destinations?" Wufei frowned. "We're going to more than one place?"

"Yes," Treize responded with a grin. "In fact, we'll be away for quite some time. I've already made all our arrangements. The government will run itself in my absence. I've seen to that."

Both Wufei and I stared at him, taken aback. "You've ... what?"

"Of course." Now he grinned broadly, enjoying our discomfiture. "Did you think that we were taking a short day trip into the country? Dear me, no." He leaned forward, gave a signal and the door to the limousine closed. Immediately, the vehicle's engine started and we moved away from the curb, then headed smoothly into traffic.

"We'll be gone quite a long time, my friends. We have a number of worlds to explore before we come home!"

* * *

Twisting about, I caught a last glimpse of the mansion as it receded into the distance through the small windows of the limo. I felt vulnerable, exposed, like something dragged out of its den into sunlight for the first time. Leaving Luxembourg was dreadfully upsetting, and I didn't know why. Before, I used to pack up and go at a moment's notice with no qualms or regrets, but now there was a hole in my stomach the size of my two fists. I was quietly freaking out.

"We're leaving today? But why? For how long?"

Treize angled his body toward Wufei and slid his hand over the back of Wufei's seat, his long fingers idly flicking the baby dragon's spines back and forth. The dragon shook its tiny head and yawned, closed its eyes then undulated its body, settling itself about Wufei's shoulders. Wufei, for his part, stifled a yawn, shook his head, and rubbed behind his ears. Treize's smile was indulgent; his gaze was focused and predatory.

"Exactly how long, I couldn't say." Treize's purred in contentment, his eyes half-lidded. "Our travels will take us to many different places around the world. How long we will be gone is anyone's guess. Eventually, though, we will come back."

"But where will we stay?" I persisted, trying to sound oh-so-reasonable. "And what about Jack? I know he's with us now, but will he be able to come with us all the time? Plus, he's just going to get bigger and bigger, because he's a puppy, and soon he'll be a full grown dog ..."

"Jack will be fine with us, Sally. Believe me, we will never be turned away from anywhere we choose to stay because of Jack. In fact, we will not be turned away from any establishment, period." Treize hummed a little and petted Wufei's head. Wufei responded by muttering a little at Treize.

Frustration and fear warred for dominance in my brain, both trying to gain the upper hand. We aren't toys to be thrown in the back of the car and dragged along for the ride, you know. We had a home; was it too much for us to ask to be able to STAY there?

Frustration won. Angry and put out, I decided to pounce on the small uncertainty I had heard rather than attack the larger issue, finding a little pleasure in fighting about something tangible.

"So, you said we would be returning eventually? When, eventually? What does that mean? Next week, next year ... or maybe the next time you think about it?"

His gaze swept over me; within nanoseconds my bravado evaporated and I froze, his palpable irritation overwhelming each and every nerve and synapse of mine.. Treize's presence - typically warm, sensual and all-enveloping - now felt dangerous and suffocating in its intensity.

"It means, Sally Po, that when I decide it is time to return, we will. Do you understand?"

Wufei glared, annoyed, unaffected by Treize's little huffing display. "Well, I understand. We're leaving Luxembourg because you're bored. You wish to show us off to your so-called 'friends,' and that means we have to travel to them. They would never travel to us, because you live in a human city . Non-humans staying in a human city? That's completely beneath them, and you know it."

Treize considered Wufei for a moment, his expression unreadable, then laughed and relaxed. Like water, that ominous presence surrounding me suddenly drained away, leaving me weak with relief.

"Dragon, you are perceptive. I'm not a recluse. And since there have been so many rumors circulating about the two of you," and he raised his eyebrow, including both of us in his glance, "I've decided it's time for us to see more of this world than just our own doorstep. And there is so much more of this world to see - and so much more I want to show you." The last part of that sentence was delivered to Wufei alone. Treize's hand was still on the back of Wufei's seat, but now he moved it to the back of the boy's neck, rubbing and kneading, an intimate gesture.

"Um," Wufei muttered, moving his head down.

Casting a quick glance in Wufei's direction, I saw his head droop toward his chest before Treize's broad shoulders blocked his slight figure from view. It didn't stop me from hearing his stifled groans of pleasure, though.

"Ah, Wufei, I had no idea your neck and shoulder muscles were so tight. You should have told me," Treize gently scolded, massaging with renewed vigor. "We'll have to do something about this ..."

Scowling, first at Treize's back, then out the window, I shook my head and forced myself to think rationally.

Examine your options, Po. Calm down. What are your options? Either you react, tell him to stop doing this in front of you and get your butt reamed again, or keep your mouth shut and don't react. If Wufei has a problem, he'll speak up. He's a big boy now. He's not without resources.

Sighing, I shifted my weight and turned toward the side windows, leaning on my arm. Outside, the world rushed by in a colorful blur. We had been on the road for thirty minutes, more or less. Now the car was quiet, except for the soft whoosh of air through the vents, the muted hum from the tires, and the background noise of Treize and Wufei.

As I peered through the window, parts of the landscape started to look vaguely familiar; a dull feeling of déjà vu throbbed in the back of my head, mocking me. When would I have been out here, especially since I had been under lock and key from my last escape attempt ...?

_...OH. Right, that explains it. This is the same road I took when I drove to Paris. _

I leaned back against the seat, feeling my face slowly flush and closed my eyes. Enough of that. I hated my life. Mystery solved. Case closed.

* * *

It was the smell, the thick, awful smell, that made me stir. Whatever it was, the stink was abominable.

"Jack?" I groped for him with one hand with my eyes closed and tried not to gag. "Jack, was that you? Did you get sick? You poor pupp-"

I stopped, shocked. My hand hadn't touched Jack or the seat or even the floor of the car; I was holding long grass between my fingers, grass that felt at least as long as my arm. Shifting my body surreptitiously, I realized I wasn't in the car with Treize and Wufei either; I was planted firmly on the ground, laying on my stomach with my knees scraping dirt. Outside. Alone.

What the hell -- ? 

This was weird and getting weirder. The air wasn't recycled and thin; each lungful felt thick and slightly humid, with the grasses sweating sweet oxygen as they did in the forests of Yuunan. When I opened my eyes, warily lifted my head and looked around, all I could see was tall, swaying grass surrounding me on all sides. The sun felt especially pleasant, my aching shoulder and back muscles soaking up its healing warmth. And the air was still, delightfully so. After the constant roar of the road and even stranger noises from my mind, here, in the middle of nowhere, there was stillness. Serenity.

_This is paradise,_ my mind whispered. _Why not stay here? You could. It's your choice, your valley._

Something about that felt right, about it being 'my' valley. There was a memory tickling the back of my mind, just beyond my recall. I remembered the smell of water; great, endless caverns; a cold kiss -

But I couldn't stay in the valley with that overwhelmingly putrid stench so close. Breathing through my mouth, I blinked and pushed myself up slowly from the ground, looking for whatever was causing it.

Controlling the urge to retch, I scrambled to my feet, squinting, until my gaze fell to my left, seeing something a little darker staining the grasses to my left. The air was permeated with that rank, foul odor. Blinking, I put my hand over my mouth, steeled myself to see something awful, and pushed on.

I found the cause of the smell, and it was just as bad as I thought.

Not two meters away from me lie the rotting, half-eaten carcass of something surrounded by a cloud of wasps and blowflies. It was impossible to identify whether the corpse had been male or female, save that it probably had been human. Remnants of a rib cage, along with what looked like outstretched arms above mangled vertebrae were several meters away from what used to be its pelvis and legs. There was no head; it appeared as if a giant had rent the body in two in a fit of anger, hurled the lower torso aside in disgust, then ripped the head off and tossed it away as well.

What was left of the corpse was distended and in the middle stages of decomposition. Scavengers had picked apart the bones and some of the soft tissue. Parts of the remains that were still on the body were bloated, blotchy, and teeming with maggots and larvae, moving and pulsing grotesquely.

" ... uuugghh..."

I felt ill. Breathing hard, I leaned down with my hands on top of my thighs, looking at the ground, to steady myself. And then again, without warning the scene in front of my eyes changed and I found myself in the middle of a waking nightmare filled with paralyzing fear, a recollection with such gut wrenching panic I could hardly breathe: -holy shit where was this coming from - ?

_- running – running hard, running fast, running as if life depended upon it, legs kicking through waist high grass, breath catching painfully in my lungs, sprinting towards something at the edge of the meadow where the edge of the forest's barrier of leaves met the meadow's tawny wall of grass. _

_Had to protect the Child, had to deliver my charge into safe hands. Solemn, dark Asian eyes under wispy black hair looked up, one small fist waving gently outside the swaddling clothes, a vague image of translucent black and red colors swirling around that tiny fist. Shifted his weight, snuggled him against my chest, next to my pounding heart, dug deep to find more energy, muscles burning, burning, must run even harder, faster - _

_He was out there, after me. He was chasing me - ancient and deadly, huge, winged, he wanted the child as fiercely as I wanted to protect him. He reached out with lazy grace, warm strong fingers ready to tear the child away, fingers that were merciless in their assault on my person and dignity, my mind and body, fingers that poked and pried and pressed their way into parts of my body and soul, and I couldn't stop him. He reached out to grab and trip and rend and sunder and to force me to give up the child to him - _

_- NO!_

_Screaming, I fell as fingers forced their way around my body and then into my mind and soul. As I fell, I flung the child as far away from me as I could, hoping against hope that someone else saw me fall, someone else would find that child and would protect him before –_

_- PAINOHGODSPAIN - such ripping, horrible pain - starbursts flaring and bursting in front of my eyes - then darkness, gasping for air, spiraling down and down, farther and farther - _

It's a **death spiral** Po grab control and GET OUT NOW - 

I forced myself to disassociate, yanking my consciousness out and away. Miraculously, milliseconds later I found myself back in front of the corpse, with that horrible stench making my eyes water.

"Gods. What the fuck is going on?" I gasped, shuddering. "Where am I?"

Sympathetic chuckling murmured from somewhere nearby.

_Ah, poor little Guardian. Your Master really has been much too protective for your own good, especially since he's seen fit to neglect you so soon._

_...whaaaat...who?..._

There was yet another voice in my head. I was alone in a gorgeous karst valley, the same kind of valley I remembered from Yuunan, where the the mountains dipped down and then up, where small, quiet farms lay in the folds of the land, and where the limestone cliffs were blanketed with trees. Squinting against the sun, I peered at the tallest mountain, hoping to see something at the top, thinking I should see something ... someone ... there ... it feels as if I should ...

"Who - who are you? And what do you mean, he's too protective? Where am I? What happened?"

I wasn't ready to play 'poor little Guardian,' as the mystery voice called me. Maybe I couldn't match these creatures strength for strength, but I could start using my brain. At the very least, I knew it wasn't Trowa. Whoever it was seemed to know a great deal about me and Treize and was able to just drop into my mind at will.

_Listen carefully. Your innate talent brings you here, Guardian, but once here, you will need to learn to control what happens. What you experienced is called a 'race memory' - a particularly nasty one, at that. _

I stared at the sky, listening intently. "A race memory?"

_Yes. Typically, race memories are triggered by familiar surroundings. In your case, I think your proximity to your charge and your race's supposed arch nemesis. _

" ... my charge? my race's arch nemesis? -"

_- that was my ancestor's body. How could I have missed something so obvious? _

The voice started speaking again, gentler now. _Calm, little Guardian. It is to your credit that you have survived to this point. Many of your kind did not. Those who did were better prepared than you. They knew what was expected, and what, in turn, they should expect._

I felt sick, so sick ... I couldn't stay there one more second. "No, no - I have to get out of here!"

Turning, I fled the scene as fast as I could. Adrenaline flooded my body. I took off, muscles churning, arms working like scythes in the long grass, legs pumping as if demons were after me. Eventually, though, my adrenaline burst was gone, and with it my extra energy. Exhausted, I slowed to a trot, and finally to a walk, then stopped to catch my breath and look around. I spied a path barely scraped out of the undergrowth; while neglected and overgrown, parts of it were still visible to those who could track. It disappeared between the dip of the mountains.

_Feel better? _

The voice sounded amused, but not mocking.

_NO you asshole, of course not._ I thought it, but didn't say it. I stood still, panting, until I caught my breath.

"Please ... answer a question? When you said other Guardians were 'better prepared' than I was - what did you mean? Could you be more specific?"

It felt like hours until my new 'friend' answered.

_Hn. You need explanations. I will provide what I can._

My stomach unknotted. "Thank you. Thank you. And - um - one more thing? Who are you? Why help me?"

Another short silence. This time, when I heard him, he sounded wryly amused. _I'm simply a friend helping a friend. From what I can see, you need all the help you can get._

It was true, but painfully blunt. Annoyance flared up at my so-called 'friend.' "Oh, I see."

_Don't pout, little Guardian. Walk out of the valley. Take the path in front of you. We'll meet soon enough. _

I waited several moments, peering around. Nothing stirred; there was nothing here but silence, and insects, and possibly the other things that gnawed at the corpse of the poor unfortunate Guardian back there.

_Are you looking for 'free choice' again? Make the choice to stay here and get eaten, like your Ancestor, or make the choice to leave and see the rest of this world. Stop being stupid. _

"Fine," I snapped, more to myself than anyone else, my steps making a brisk crunching sound. "I'm leaving."

Nothing appeared on either side of the road, nothing stirred in the grass, and nothing was in the clear blue sky overhead except the sun. I was alone, strolling out of a beautiful, verdant valley, into the unknown.

* * *

"Sally? Sally, wake up, we're here - "Gods no I'm not anywhere I'm still walking - 

"Mmmmhmmm." My head was resting on something soft and hard at the same time, and I was confused. That pleasant, sonorous baritone wanted me to wake up. Or was that walk up? Wasn't I already walking?

"Ah, such a deep sleep. Wake up, Sally - "

"Nnn, go _**'way**_, I _**am**_ walking -"

_**"Walking?" **_

Shaking this time that refused to stop. Groggy, I opened my eyes and saw nothing but bronze light around me. Blinking, trying to bring the world into focus, I finally realized that Treize's incredibly bronze eyes were scant centimeters away and they were peering quizzically into mine.

"Ah, my little walker," he said softly. "Where are you off to this time?"

"Ou - out of the valley," I murmured, feeling dreamy, completely captivated. His eyes were so clear, so powerful ... "Um ... hi, Treize."

"Hello yourself, Sally Po." My cheekbones tingled where he touched them, long fingers stroking around my eyes, down the side of my face, tracing my chin ... I shivered, enthralled.

"Tell me more. How did you get into the valley?"

"I ... don't know. I was walking in a pretty green valley. It was hot. There were mountains ... all around me, mountains that were strange looking ... then someone said "walk up," but I was already walking, so - "

He chuckled, and the lines around and between his eyes disappered; those beautiful bronze hues around Treize's head and shoulders shimmered and vanished. Now he looked as handsome as usual, except his gaze was sharper and more focused.

"Ah, I see. That was me, my dear. I was telling you to wake up, not walk up."

I blinked. "Wake up? Oh ... you mean wake up - " Suddenly I was wide awake, staring straight into Treize's amused and twinkling blue gaze, feeling my wrists held lightly together in my lap.

"Hey - wha -?" I stammered, pulling my wrists out of his grasp.

"Sorry," he said, grinning, not looking sorry at all. "But you were sleeping so soundly and then started talking so much, I had to protect myself. There was no telling what you would have done, given half the chance."

"Excuse me - what?" I was stupefied, totally confused.

Forstalling any more conversation, the door opened and Wufei stuck his head inside.

"Are you ready yet?" he snapped, irritated. "The luggage is loaded, the pilot is waiting, Jack is with me - "

"Yes, Wufei, we're coming." Treize's smile was one of triumph as he ushered me out of the car. "Come along, Sally. We can't keep our public waiting, now can we?"

The jetliner was enormous. It could easily hold fifty people; in fact, as we hurried over to board the plane, it appeared as if that many Specials were making the trip with us. Luggage was loaded into the bottom hatch of the aircraft, and several guard dogs were brought on board. I was shocked to see the amount of people, guards and especially dogs coming with us. Wufei, though, seemed to take everything in stride.

"Um ... it's just the three of us traveling together ... isn't it?" I asked Treize as we walked toward the doorway of the aircraft.

"Yes, just the three of us. Why?"

"Because," I said, glancing at the knot of uniformed men on the tarmac, "if only the three of us are traveling together, why are those Specials and their dogs boarding the plane, too?"

"Oh. That." Treize chuckled. "We have several stops to make along the way, dear. This isn't just a vacation, it's a 'working' vacation. Don't worry." He gave me a teasing grin. "And you know, I'll need a few around to keep an eye on you."

"Ahaha. Aren't you funny."

"I try to keep my sense of humor," he said, ushering me into the plane, his eyes flashing. "You should do the same. Don't take things so seriously."

I glanced at him in disbelief, then rolled my eyes. "Okay. Whatever you say, Treize."

* * *

"_...the natural habitat of the Inland Leviathan in the southern half of the continent should not be compared to the winter habitat of its cousin to the north, the Sloe Eyed Two-Faced Leviathan. This creature, as noble as its ancestor, kills without hesitation when provoked. The Inland Leviathan has a foul temper and poor eyesight, easily compensated for by its massive bulk, extraordinary auditory senses and – "_

Even though his seat was next to mine, Wufei leaned over and poked me in the arm, hard enough to make me drop my book and interrupt my reading.

"OW! Wufei, what's wrong with yo-"

"Sorry, Sally, but I need your attention. Treize said we're going to land soon, and you must buckle your seat belt."

I blinked and frowned, looking at him. Was he joking? He stared back, his dark eyes giving nothing away.

"...what? Landing? Now?"

He nodded, solomn. "Yes, that's what Treize said. So buckle up. Now."

Wufei didn't realize it, but when he started any sentence with the phrase 'Treize said,' it was as if he took a claw hammer and scratched it, rusty side down, along a chalkboard. It grated on my last nerve that much. However, I kept a very tight rein on my temper and made a huge effort to give Wufei a reasonable, mild reply.

I bent forward and looked around to see if Treize was anywhere near us. He wasn't. They I looked at Wufei again, giving him my best gee-I'm-confused-help-me-out face. "But ... that's just weird. Didn't we take off - " I looked at my watch " - like, forty minutes ago?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Treize said we're going to land in about ten minutes. So let's go. Buckle up."

Gads, he did it _again_. I gritted my teeth and focused all my attention on fastening that idiot lapbelt. "There, Wufei. Satisfied? Now answer a question for me. Where do you think we are?"

He snorted. "I have no idea. You're the one sitting next to the window. Look outside." The dragon actually snorted at me too, bobbing its proud little head in concert with Wufei.

The urge to smack some sense back into his head surged down my arms and made my hands burn. "If it was that easy, I wouldn't need to ask you, now, would I? Look!" I tried not to shout as I pointed at the window. "The only thing that's out there is mist or fog or clouds. That's all I've seen since we took off - I haven't seen the ground at all. Don't you even care where we are ...?"

"Unnn," he replied absently, his attention buried inside an old, leatherbound book, the dragon wrapped securely around his shoulders.

And now I was completely ticked off. It was one thing for him to interrupt and badger me until I did what he wanted, but it was quite another when he blatantly ignored me as if I no longer existed. That was a bad habit for him to develop.

I sat up, reached across Wufei, grabbed his book and slammed it shut as hard as I could.

_BAM!_

Wufei barely had time to get his head, the dragon's head and his own fingers out of the way. "AAAKKK!" he squawked, eyes huge, as he jammed backwards as hard as he could into his seat, arms and legs splayed out on either side of his body like a turtle on its back. "WHAT THE HELL -"

The retort echoed in the cabin like the sound of a gunshot. Not a half second later, we heard all the Specials priming their weapons, and then -

_**THUDWHUMP**_

Every Special's boot hit the floor of the plane at the same time as they all jumped up, scanning for the intruder who dared fire a shot in Treize's plane.

Shocked, Wufei looked at me - really looked at me, as he did when we first met - and I smiled, just a little. _Hah_.

"Dammit, you did that on purpose!" he hissed, accusing. His eyebrows thundered together and he gave me a genuine Wufei death glare, something else I hadn't seen in weeks.

"Really?" I shrugged. "You mean the same way you did it to me? Or am just less important, so it doesn't matter?"

"What the hell are you talking -"

And then Treize was in front of us, very large, eyeing us both.

"Wufei. Sally."

"Hnn?" I turned from Wufei to Treize, pushing my smile back to its proper place.

"We're landing now, so stay seated, please. Also, we're going to allow the Specials to leave the aircraft first." Treize said. "They have so much gear and equipment to move that it's best to stay out of their way. And Sally, here's Jack's leash. He's been wonderful, but I'd prefer that you tend to him now."

"Yes, of course, I wondered where he was. Come here, Jack."

Jack yipped a little then jumped on the seat with me, put his paws on my shoulders and tried to wash my face with his tongue. I laughed; ducking, I buried my face in his fur and whuffed into his neck . He snuffed my hair, poked about with his nose a little and finally settled down in my arms.

Treize sat down across from us in the large leather chair, getting ready for landing. There was something undeniably different about Treize right now, a primal edge that wasn't there before. Energy poured from him - not just his usual, languid power, but also an earthy kind of energy. It drenched me in waves and washed over everything in its path. Now simply being close to Treize felt exciting and arousing but also like something reckless and dangerous to do as well.

Something reckless and dangerous ... that was familiar...

_...you felt it when Treize called the Dragon ... _

I exhaled slowly and looked at my hands. One scene flashed across my mind, clear and awful in blinding accuracy. The words reckless and dangerous called forth all types of images, but they paled in comparison to what happened that night, what was seared into my brain courtesy of Trowa.

_DAMN, Po, focus! Think for once. This force must affect everyone surrounding him, too. Just ... think. Be cool. _

"All right, Wufei. Sally. Time to go."

Picking up Jack's leash, I glanced down and felt a small swell of pride. My hands weren't shaking a bit.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, Treize chose our personal retinue from all the Specials traveling on the plane with us and finally got all the luggage sorted, too. The general kept Wufei as close to him as was practically possible so that he could learn everything about traveling - how luggage was sorted, how Specials were chosen to take on long assignments, and the gods knew what else Treize had a mind to teach him. Poor Wufei.

I, unfortunately, learned nothing except what it was like to wait on the sidelines with my dog, quite forgotten, until a stray patrol car drove by and radioed to central headquarters about a "lone female walking her dog," and what should he do. When I heard that he couldn't make the simplest decisions without consulting a superior officer, I knew there was no hope.

_What was that all about?_ I mused. _It was so, so weird ..._

"Penny for your thoughts?"

I blinked. Treize was watching me quite closely.

_Just asking, my dear. You're very quiet. _

Uncontrollable blushing again, from my neck, through my cheeks that finally stopped at my hairline. At least, the part that anyone could see. I was sure my scalp had turned red, too.

"Um ... well ... I was thinking I was tired, and that's ... kinda silly. All we've been doing is getting in and out of things this morning ..."

"Nonsense," Treize said with a little chuckle. "Traveling is repetitive and boring, and it wears you down. I don't doubt you're tired, and probably hungry, to boot."

"I ... um ... am," I answered, surprised.

"Then you'll be happy to know we'll be stopping in about five minutes for brunch," Treize announced, poking Wufei gently.

"What? Leave me alone!" Wufei snapped, turning his back.

Treize gently turned him around again, rotating Wufei so he would at least look at the two of us when he was speaking.

"Our first stop!" Treize declared, ushering us out of the car with a flourish, a twinkle in his eye. "It involves diamonds, shopping, and getting ready for an enormously large and festive party. Who wouldn't love it?"


End file.
